LUCKNOW: Deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak launched a scathing counter-attack on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday, describing him as ‘king of corruption’, nearly a week after 9 top opposition leaders of the country, including Yadav, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging misuse of central agencies against them.
“Only recently, 9 opposition leaders, including SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, had written to the PM alleging misuse of central agencies. I want to say that these opposition leaders are themselves mired in corruption. By alleging misuse of central agencies, these leaders want to hide their acts of corruption,” the deputy CM alleged at a presser organised at the UP BJP office in Lucknow.
“Are these parties objecting to the drive against corruption initiated by the central agencies? One of the 9 signatories to the letter by opposition leaders to the PM is SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. The irony is that SP rule has always been known for rampant corruption,” he said.
“The Gomti Riverfront scam, land allotment scam in Noida and Greater Noida, ration scam, laptop scam, Samajwadi Pension scam, fodder scam, mining scam are just some of the many scams that are being investigated,” Pathak said.
In the joint letter written to PM, the opposition leaders had also flagged concerns at the selective action by central agencies. Apart from Yadav, Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi chief Chandrashekhar Rao, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, former Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackerary, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Delhi chief minister and AAP top leader Arvind Kejriwal and Bihar’s deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav had cited cases to substantiate their point.
{{/usCountry}}In the joint letter written to PM, the opposition leaders had also flagged concerns at the selective action by central agencies. Apart from Yadav, Andhra Pradesh chief minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi chief Chandrashekhar Rao, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, former Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackerary, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Delhi chief minister and AAP top leader Arvind Kejriwal and Bihar’s deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav had cited cases to substantiate their point.
{{/usCountry}}“For example, former Congress leader and current Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma was probed by the CBI and ED in 2014 and 2015 over Saradha chit fund scam but the case against him didn’t proceed since he joined the BJP. Former TMC leaders Suvendu Adhikari and Mukul Roy were under the scanner of central agencies till they joined the BJP. There are many such cases, including that of Maharashtra leader Narayan Rane,” the opposition leaders had claimed.