Sonia reminds of BJP’s corruption

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday sought to put the BJP on the mat on the issue of corruption by referring to Karnataka, Tehelka expose and the Bangaru Laxman episode.On a lighter vein

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday sought to put the BJP on the mat on the issue of corruption by referring to Karnataka, Tehelka expose and the Bangaru Laxman episode.

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“The list is endless,” Gandhi told a Congress parliamentary party meeting. She said her party stood for transparency and probity and referred to the action taken against Cong-ress ministers and chief ministers “even when no charge had been established or no misconduct proved against them”.

“Can the BJP make the same claim in Karnataka where corruption is rampant? Let us not forget that it was during the BJP-led NDA that a senior minister resigned on the defence scam being exposed,” Gandhi said.

“But he was reinstated even as the enquiry was underway. And what about some of the leaders in the same party caught in camera taking money an later rehabilitated?” asked Gandhi.

She backed the government’s firm no to the opposition call for a joint parliamentary probe into the 2G-spectrum scam, saying there already are sufficient investigations underway to get to the root of the matter.

“It is preposterous to suggest that the government has something to hide or is shying away from investigation,” she said.

Gandhi also blamed the BJP for an “unproductive” winter session of parliament. “This has been the pattern from the day BJP was voted out of office in 2004,” she said. “It has required an enormous effort to pass essential government business.”

Rejecting Sonia Gandhi’s charge, Sushma Swaraj, Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha said, “Only the government is responsible for the loss (due to disruption of Parliament). The stubborn attitude of the government in not accepting our demand shows it has a lot to hide.”