Senior BJP Leader M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said Congress was blaming the then Union Home Minister PV Narsimha Rao for the Bhopal gas tragedy in order to "hide its sins" and protect "a particular family".
Reacting to the statement of senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Arjun Singh in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday on the issue, Naidu alleged, "in order to hide its sins and that of a particular family, Congress is putting the entire blame of the fiasco on the then Home Minister."
"It appears that Singh has broken his silence after a lot of hue and cry over the issue, as part of a bargain," Naidu said.
The BJP leader was talking to reporters at Mhow, the birthplace of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, after taking part in a programme organised by the SC Cell of the party.
Naidu stressed that he was not shielding Rao for his alleged role in allowing the then Union Carbide Corporation chief Warren Anderson to leave the country, but everybody knows that it was not possible without the consent of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Despite knowing the fact that Rao is no more in the world, the Congress is blaming him for the incident which is an example of how low the party can stoop to for saving a particular family, he said.
{{/usCountry}}Despite knowing the fact that Rao is no more in the world, the Congress is blaming him for the incident which is an example of how low the party can stoop to for saving a particular family, he said.
{{/usCountry}}Naidu demanded that the Congress apologise to the people of country for putting blame on Rao in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy incident.