New Delhi, April 20: Trying to turn tables on Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for his comment on a “rotten system”, the Opposition BJP on Tuesday asked the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family if his words were an indictment of 53 years of Congress rule.
In a letter to former Supreme Court judge VR Krishna Iyer (95), who had alleged that the Congress general secretary was indifferent to corruption, Gandhi had written, “I spend a lot of my waking hours thinking and working to improve what I see as a rotten system.” The BJP sought to know from Gandhi if the Congress — which ruled India for 53 out of 63 years of Independence — was responsible for the rot.
“It (his statement) is a categorical indictment for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the UPA or the 53 years of the Congress rule,” BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters on Tuesday.
With the ruling party finding it difficult to get out of the vicious circle of scandals, the BJP said corruption was ‘Congress-centric’. Rudy found growing restlessness and insecurity in the Congress over the anti-corruption campaign and expressed concern about drafting of the Lokpal Bill.
“The BJP wants to see the draft Bill. There are indications that leaders of those who are most affected by these charges of corruption — especially those who are members of the drafting committee — are coming out with statements,” Rudy said.
The former Union Minister also took strong exception to senior Congress leaders hitting out at anti-corruption crusaders, though he refrained from referring much to the ongoing CD row involving former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and drafting committee member Prashant Bhushan. A few senior Congress leader, including its general secretary Digvijay Singh too, have made veiled attack on Bhushan.
“I would not like to say a campaign is being run. But clearly after the manner in which general secretary Digvijay Singh has given statements, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi should tell us whether instructions have been issued to Congressmen to create hurdles for the campaign against corruption,” Rudy said.
He maintained that the nation sees this as a big conspiracy and a general feeling was sinking in that Congress was behind all acts of corruption.
–Agencies–