BJP slams Cong as Rahul backs controversial Assandh nominee
On a day when Congress’ star campaigner and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi kicked off the party’s campaign in Haryana, the BJP took exception to his choice of candidate — Shamsher Singh Gogi — party candidate from Assandh, in favour of whom he sought votes.
Targeting the Congress on the corruption front, caretaker Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini alleged that Gandhi’s campaign in favour of Gogi was admission of the fact that the Congress shielded its corrupt leaders.
Gogi was recently in controversy for his statement that he would fill his and his associates’ coffers first after the formation of the Congress government in Haryana. However, he later retracted from his statement claiming that he was not talking about himself or his associates but about his Assembly segment Assandh.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the Congress “royal family” as the most-corrupt family in the country at Gohana rally yesterday, Saini’s attack on Gandhi is part of the party’s strategy to corner the Congress on the corruption front. Besides transparency in the administration and merit-based job recruitments, the saffron party is making ‘zero tolerance’ to corruption as one of the major issues in the high-stakes October 5 polls.
“Rahul Gandhi’s start of campaign in favour of the candidate who openly advocates looting of state exchequer reflects the Congress’ hidden agenda. Does Congress wants to push Haryana towards swamp of corruption again?” Saini asked.
Senior BJP leader Varinder Garg alleged that tackling corruption had been the Achilles’ heel of the Congress, especially during Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s 10-year rule. “The Congress has no locus standi in raising corruption as an issue as its several senior leaders are facing corruption cases in various courts of law,” Garg alleged.
