Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said there is an alarming state of flood situation in the country but an insipid BJP government is sleeping over a human tragedy of gigantic proportions from East to West India. He said it is nationally estimated that 10 million people are marooned and 300 people killed.
ABDUL BARI MASOUD | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — Defending the move to flock its MLAs to Bangalore, the Congress on Monday slammed the Modi government asking it to wake up from slumber and petty politicking to come to the aid of flood ravaged people as the death toll crossed 300. It also targeted a section of media for every time taking the name of Sonia Gandhi along with Ahmed Patel saying he is not contesting Rajya Sabha election as political secretary.
Briefing reporters here, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said there is an alarming state of flood situation in the country but an insipid BJP government is sleeping over a human tragedy of gigantic proportions from East to West India. He said it is nationally estimated that 10 million people are marooned and 300 people killed.
“Even the total death toll in the floods in Gujarat has touched at 128, with 49 in district Banaskantha alone,” he said.
When asked if it was not the job of Congress Legislators also to be among the people of Gujarat in this situation, Azad quipped that it is BJP’s plot and plan. “Such an atmosphere is being created across the country against the Congress MLAs so that they can come back to Ahmadabad and from the airport they can be taken but we are not going to fall for this plot orchestrated by the BJP,” he said.
Countering BJP chief Amit Shah and other party leaders’ allegations about the absence of Congress legislatures from the state when people are reeling under floods, Azad asked what is the chief minister doing in Gujarat? “The CM goes to Banaskantha after five days as he was not in Bangalore. Also, what is government of India doing? How many ministers are here, how many MPs of BJP are there? Why should not they go and work? An overwhelming number of BJP MPs in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are sitting here. They are not in Gujarat when needed.”
Azad also took exception for constantly referring Ahmed Patel’s name along with the Congress chief in the run-up to RS poll by some media organizations. The leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said Patel is not contesting as political secretary of the Congress chief but as a Congress candidate who is one of the senior most Member of the Parliament – both in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha – in particular in Rajya Sabha.
“Some mediapersons, unfortunately, knowingly or unknowingly, are every time referring to Ahmed Patel as political secretary of Congress President, thereby involving unnecessarily Congress chief,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention that Congress, which has been struggling to keep the flock together, had shifted all its MLAs to Bangalore after the ruling BJP’s alleged might of money and muscle power was on full display in Gujarat to engineer and manipulate defections and resignations in the Congress legislature party.
The Congress has submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission in this regard along with the affidavits of three party MLAs who were allegedly offered “irresistible allurements” to defect the Congress rank.
MLAs Puna bhai Gamit, from Vyara Assembly constituency, District Tapi; Mangalbhai G. Gamit, Dang constituency, District Dang and Ishwarbhai Patel, Dharampur constituency, District Valsad, in their statements alleged that they have been approached by the BJP and its agents to defect in consideration of monetary allurements. The Congress legislature party leader in Gujarat Assembly Shaktisingh Gohail had claimed that the BJP offered Rs 15 crore to each MLA for defection and seat in the forthcoming assembly polls.
Before moving its MLAs to safer places, five party MLAs defected or resigned from the Congress. Now the party’s legislature strength has come down to 52 from 57.
The Congress also alleged and complained to the EC that even the official machinery of the state is being used to foster political purposes as is evident by the conduct of NK Amin, SP, Tapi.
Congress Attacks Modi Government on Alarming Flood Situation; Says Won’t Fall to BJP’s Plot of Bringing Back Party Legislatures
