Sinha invokes Koda to flay Maken

Sinha, an MP from Jharkhand, sought to see a nexus between disgraced former chief minister Madhu Koda and Maken who was once Congress-in-charge of the state.

The BJP leader who started by accusing UPA of  diversionary tactics by blaming the NDA government for the appointment of Suresh Kalmadi as chairman of Commonwealth Games Organising committee, strayed mid-way and alleged that Maken used to “threaten” and pressurise Koda to bring a “bagful” of things during his visits to Delhi.

The comment created an uproar in the House with an agitated Maken demanding an apology from the former finance minister. At this stage, Sinha gave a spin to his comment, saying that Koda pleased Maken with a bagful of mangoes and jackfruit.

Sinha, oblivious to Koda’s presence in the House, said Maken, during his visit to the state, frequently interacted with the former Jharkand chief minister “who is in Ranchi jail”. At this, Koda, sitting in the back benches, got up and angrily objected to the former finance minister’s remarks.

In the pandemonium, Sinha could not complete his statement and the House was adjourned till 5 pm. It was adjourned for the day when it resumed its proceedings with BJP members opposing police caning party youth wing workers in Delhi.

Earlier, Sinha tried to punch holes in the claims of the UPA that it was the NDA that appointed Kalmadi. He demanded to know why did UPA-2 Government put up with  Kalmadi for so many years, removing him only in 2011, even if the NDA appointed him?
Sinha then said that when Kalmadi became untouchable for the UPA-2 government he was dropped like a hot potato.

Lashing out at the Congress for mentioning of various CAG reports on corruption in BJP-ruled states and its MP Manish Tiwari criticising CAG and the judiciary, the BJP leader said “it is the Congress which is out to destroy all institutions in the country”. He alleged that the Congress followed “law of convenience” and recalled Congress president Sonia Gandhi going to town about the coffin scam report of CAG.

“Jo mitha mitha tha wo gup gup, aur jo teekha teekha wo thu thu…” (whatever is sweet is gulped down in no time by the Congress and whatever is bitter is spit out immediately), Sinha again resorted to a local saying to strike at the Congress.

The former finance minister quoted Mani Shankar Aiyar, ex-sports minister in the Manmohan Singh government, to buttress his argument that Singh refused to take notice of letters written by him raising important issues concerning Kalmadi. Sinha said the prime minister described Aiyar’s letters as “ideological objections.”

Sinha said all through this, Kalmadi happily described Aiyar as “a cartoon sitting in one of the rooms in Shastri Bhavan”.