NEW DELHI: BJP on Saturday reacted sharply to Rahul Gandhi’s comments on tainted former Uttar Pradesh Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, saying he should first look within his own party which has become a “mine of corruption”.
“Rahul Gandhi should not give such sermons. He should remember that the Congress hand is with former telecom minister A Raja, with Commonwealth Games OC Chairperson Suresh Kalmadi, with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and Home Minister P Chidambaram,” BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.
He was punning on “hand” which is the election symbol of the Congress.
Raja, Kalmadi, Dikshit, Kamat and Chidambaram have faced allegations in various corruption cases ranging from 2G spectrum and CWG to mining.
“While the Congress has become a mine of corruption, BJP is against and will remain against corruption,” Hussain said.
Gandhi had alleged that Kushwaha, an OBC leader from UP who is facing a CBI inquiry in the Rs 2,000 crore NRHM scam, had first approached the Congress and when the party refused, he joined the BJP.
He said the BJP had welcomed Kushwaha though he was tainted.
Defending this decision, Hussain said the party does not want to shield the corrupt.
“In the NRHM scam, we want the probe to reach its logical conclusion. The country wants to know the truth about all those who are involved. As we won the fight against graft in Parliament, we will win outside too,” Hussain said.
BJP also took digs at the Congress on the controversry over West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s statement that if Congress wants to end its alliance with TMC it could go ahead. He alleged that the Congress is in a “suicidal mode”. (PTI)