TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: AICC General Secretary and Goa desk-incharge Digvijaya Singh took a potshot at BJP election campaign chief and the person touted to be its PM candidate Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his double speak on transparency. He also ridiculed BJP Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj for allegedly patronizing illegal mining.
“BJP is always involved in double speak… Modi during his tenure as CM has failed to appoint Lokayukta. He speaks against corruption but has no transparency in his functioning,” he said at a press conference Thursday criticizing Modi’s failure to appoint a Lokayukta for Gujarat.
Singh also pointed out that the CAG report that repeatedly brought to the notice of Gujarat government rampant corruption to the extent of more than Rs 20,000 crore.
“Gujarat government’s Petroleum Corporation has not managed to produce gas from a single well. All the investment has been wasted…One minister is involved in illegal mining but he has been retained in the cabinet…All this speaks volumes of the manner in which Modi is functioning,” he added.
On Swaraj, he was more direct: “I don’t know why Sushma Swaraj is patronizing illegal mining. First it was Reddy brothers in Bellary in Karnataka and now Chouhan brothers in MP,” he said. He also alleged that relatives of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan were involved in illegal sand mining and any officer initiating action against them faced transfers from the district.
“His relatives were involved in illegal sand mining and when a sub division magistrate levied a penalty of over 450 crores of rupees, the officer was transferred. Another SDM stopped the mining trucks, and he also faced transfer from the district. This is happening in his own constituency, which is also a Parliamentary constituency of Sushma Swaraj,” he added.
Meanwhile, referring to the pending Lokpal Bill, Digvijay Singh said the passage of Lokpal bill can be ensured during the ongoing parliamentary session, provided the opposition allows the parliament to function.
“The Bill which was referred to the standing committee has been sent back to the Parliament. If Opposition allows Parliament to function, we can see the passage of the bill which is one of the election promises of the Congress party,” Singh said while also alleging the activists Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal tried to hijack the issue.
On the long pending women’s reservation Bill, which will ensure 33 percent seat reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies, Singh replied “Soniaji (UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi) is piloting the issue and the Parliament has to decide.”
Singh earlier addressed his party leaders and state office bearers, and gave information about the Food Security Bill at GCCI on Thursday.
