Cong returns 'raincoat' barb, says MP govt illegally allotted land to RSS

 A day after Narendra Modi's "raincoat" barb at Manmohan Singh, Congress today alleged "multiple scams" under the guard of the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh and said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and the Prime Minister seem to know the art of "taking bath while wearing a raincoat."

Launching a blistering attack, Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee president Arun Yadav alleged the state government has allotted land worth Rs 500 crore to RSS in various cities by circumventing the rules.

However, the BJP has termed the allegations "baseless" saying they are fallout of the growing frustration in the opposition party in the wake of a string of electoral defeats.

"The state government has allotted land worth Rs 500-crore to RSS (BJP's ideological mentor) in different cities in the gross violation of rules," Yadav said.
He claimed the Congress MLAs had asked several questions in this regard in the Legislative Assembly and that the government "didn't reply to the applications filed under RTI in this connection."

At the presser, Yadav posed five questions to Bhagwat who is currently on visit of the state. "Bhagwat ji should answer why RSS is on land acquisition spree in the state," he said.

Questioning "silence" of Modi and Bhagwat over "various scams" under the state BJP government, he alleged, "Over 150 scams have taken place during the BJP regime in state, including Vyapam, illegal sand mining, Rs 2500-crore Simhastha scam, dams and ponds scam, mid-day meal scam etc. but the PM and the RSS chief are not talking about these scams.

"...It seems that RSS chief and the PM know the art of taking bath while wearing a raincoat," he said.

In a scathing attack in Rajya Sabha, the PM yesterday said that one should learn the art of "bathing with a raincoat on" from his predecessor Manmohan Singh as there was not a single taint on him despite so many scams having taken place during his regime.

Yadav said whether the RSS chief was supporting the alleged illegal mining by state chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's family members "by keeping silence over the issue".

He also asked Bhagwat to speak about "over Rs 1000 crore money laundering racket busted in Katni district of state."

"Bhagwat should speak on this issue and inform who were behind this money laundering racket. Were these people belonging to the BJP?" he asked.

Yadav also claimed that one of the eleven persons held from different parts of state today in connection with an espionage racket was a relative of a BJP corporator.

"These 11 persons include one Jitendra who is the elder brother of BJP corporator Vandana Satish Yadav's husband. Bhagwat ji should also speak on this issue," Yadav demanded.

When contacted, state BJP vice-president Rameshwar Sharma said the Congress should have posed the questions to BJP and not to RSS.

"People have already responded to these questions by ensuring the defeat of Congress in past several elections. State Congress should have asked these questions to party (BJP) and not to RSS," Sharma told PTI.

He said Yadav has always levelled such baseless allegations which is the sign of the Congress' increasing desperation following electoral setbacks.

"RSS is a cultural and social organisation which is working for imbibing the sense of nationalism among people. All allegations of the Congress, which has lost peoples' faith, have proved baseless on several occasions earlier," he added.