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BJP accuses Uttarakhand chief minister of corruption

Last Updated 22 July 2015, 19:29 IST

A combative BJP on Wednesday raised corruption charges against Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat after releasing a sting video to target the Congress in a liquor scam.

The party also capitalised on former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister P K Thungan’s conviction in a graft case to charge that Congress has no moral authority to preach on corruption matters.

The BJP fielded three Union ministers to raise the muck and push the Congress on the backfoot given that the latter has been seeking resignations of ruling party’s chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan for their alleged involvement in Vyapam scam and Lalitgate respectively.

Addressing reporters on Wednesday, Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman released a CD of a sting operation that showed Rawat’s personal secretary Mohammad Shahid purportedly dealing with middlemen and private liquor distributors to bargain about a commission for himself so that rather than government undertakings private parties are allowed to sell liquor in Dehradun.

Rawat was not shown in the video though the party demanded action against him.
Similarly, later Union ministers Kiren Rijiju from Arunachal Pradesh and Sarbananda Sonowal of Assam held another press conference at the BJP headquarters to counter charge that the Congress had no moral authority to raise corruption matters as former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister P K Thungan has been found guilty in a graft case.

“Congress is talking of corruption, skeletons of corruption of yesteryears are tumbling out of its closet,” said party spokesperson Sambit Patra who shared the dais along with the two ministers.

While immediately offering discussion on a row confronting Sushma Swaraj, the BJP said it was ready for discussion on all issues like Robert Vadra land deals, Quatrocchi (Bofors) and scams in six Congress-ruled states. “The government is willing to discuss everything. We have nothing to hide, nothing to worry,” Parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu said.

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(Published 22 July 2015, 19:29 IST)

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