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Graft galore in M.P.: Pachouri

PHOTO: A.M. Faruqui

The newly-appointed Madhya Pradesh Congress president Suresh Pachouri addressing a press conference in Bhopal on Sunday. Leader of the Opposition Jamuna Devi is also seen.

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee President, Suresh Pachouri said here on Sunday that the Bharatiya Janata Party Government’s failure to fulfil their electoral promises, especially relating to “BSP-Bijli-Sadak-Pani” (electricity- roads-water) and rampant corruption would form the basis of their campaign to put the BJP on the mat in the coming State Assembly election.

Mr. Pachouri was addressing a press conference here on Sunday afternoon. He said that the law and order situation in the State was turning from bad to worse. He cited the National Crime Records Bureau figures to illustrate how the incidence of crime against SC/ST, weaker sections, minorities, women, and children was higher in Madhya Pradesh in comparison with most other States. Kidnappings and communal incidents have gone up, he said adding that there have been many instances where the police “has acted through vendetta and registered false cases against innocent people.”

Mr. Pachouri said that even Government employees were being harassed in Madhya Pradesh. He said that the tribals were being exploited under the present BJP led State Government and false cases were being registered against tribal leaders. Referring to the latest FIR lodged against the leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, Jamuna Devi, who also addressed the press conference, Mr. Pachouri said that this issue would be dealt at the “political level”. The allegation against Ms. Jamuna Devi is that her daughter had secured admission in a medical college on a reserved ST seat more than 40 years ago on the basis of a fake caste certificate.

Mr. Pachouri said that the State BJP Government has completely failed to meet its commitment on the power front. He said that there is a vast gap of about 2500 MW in the installed generation capacity and the available power. He gave credit to the Centre for coming to the rescue of Madhya Pradesh and said that the Centre had gone out of its way to increase its share from 1800 MW to 2800 MW for Madhya Pradesh. It is unfortunate that instead of tiding over its crisis on priority, the State Government had chosen to use the national transmission facility to sell 800 MW of power to other States only to rake in some money but this was at the cost of the farmers of this State.

Mr. Pachouri said that the Congress was for all-round progress and development and it would be wrong to allege that the Centre was ignoring the interests of Madhya Pradesh. He said that Rs. 100 crore were given to the State for draught relief by the Centre during the previous Chief Minister’s tenure and the second instalment of drought relief was also sent to the State without the utilisation certificate.

To a pointed query regarding substandard imported wheat allegedly supplied for the public distribution system in Madhya Pradesh, he said that there are checks and balances to ensure that the wheat supplied by the Food Corporation of India godowns met the prescribed standard. There are officials responsible for this and it is not expected of someone holding a constitutional post to directly take up this responsibility, he said without naming the Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan, who recently went for a surprise inspection and raised the issue.

Addressing media-persons, the Opposition leader, Jamuna Devi said that Mr. Pachouri’s appointment as MPCC chief has sent a positive message across the State. She said that there would be new vigour among the youth and all Congressmen under his leadership.

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Graft galore in M.P.: Pachouri

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