BJP and Congress are ‘two sides of the same coin’ when it comes to corruption, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said on Monday, the eve of Congress leader and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot's proposed day-long fast against the state government's ‘inaction’ in cases of alleged corruption, including those against BJP leader and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje.
Also Read: Pilot takes on CM Gehlot again, will fast over graft
Rajasthan has a Congress government led by Pilot's arch-rival, Ashok Gehlot.
“…whether it's a Congress regime or a BJP one, both are two sides of the same coin. Both encouraged graft, and, therefore, a former deputy CM from the Congress will protest against his own party's government. What message does this send? This shows that neither party is serious about tackling corruption,” said Owaisi in Hyderabad, according to ANI.
The Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad continued: “About the Congress, we've been saying that instead of providing governance to the people of Rajasthan, it is doing such things.”
{{/usCountry}}The Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad continued: “About the Congress, we've been saying that instead of providing governance to the people of Rajasthan, it is doing such things.”
{{/usCountry}}“Who am I to support him? He is a former deputy CM from his party…he still harbours dreams of becoming chief minister,” Owaisi remarked when asked if he would be supporting Sachin Pilot.
What did Sachin Pilot say?
In a press conference on Sunday, Pilot announced the day-long agitation. “We raised the issue of corruption when we were in opposition, and promised to take action on coming to power. No action has been taken on the corruption in the Vasundhara Raje government, where being in the opposition, we promised that an inquiry would be conducted. Now, 6-7 months are left for the election, and we should take action before that,” he said.
Also Read: BJP's advice to Rahul Gandhi as Sachin Pilot renews attack on Ashok Gehlot
The western state will hold assembly polls in November/December; in the last few assembly elections, the incumbent government, either BJP or Congress, has been voted out, and a new BJP/Congress regime voted in.
Pilot has been at loggerheads with Ashok Gehlot since December 2018, when the latter pipped the former to become chief minister after the grand old party's win over the saffron party. In 2020, Pilot, the then deputy CM and state Congress president, was sacked from both posts after leading a rebellion against the chief minister; he also failed to unseat the CM.