BJP has created ‘ease of doing corruption’ in Gujarat: Sachin Pilot

"The issue on which theBJP is patting its back is that, in economics world, it has improved ease-of-doing-business. But I believe the BJP rule has in fact made ease-of-doing-corruption very easy. (It has promoted) contracts, business interests of a select few of its choice during while it ruled at village, block, taluka, district and state level over the last two decades. If anything has improved in Gujarat, it the ease-of-doing corruption)" Pilot said.

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Sachin Pilot interacting with youths at an event in Rajkot on Wednesday (November 15, 2017)

Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Wednesday alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had created “ease of doing corruption in Gujarat” during its long reign in the state and claimed that the ruling party was raising the issue of nationalism since it didn’t have much to show to the public.

“The issue on which the Bharatiya Janata Party is patting its back is that, in economics world, it has improved ease-of-doing-business. But I believe the BJP rule has in fact made ease-of-doing-corruption very easy. (It has promoted) contracts, business interests of a select few of its choice during while it ruled at village, block, taluka, district and state level over the last two decades. If anything has improved in Gujarat, it the ease-of-doing corruption)” Pilot said without elaborating.

Pilot, who was corporate affairs minister in the previous UPA government and is now the president of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee, was addressing a press conference in Rajkot.

His jibe at the BJP comes after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi persistently attacked the ruling BJP over business dealings of BJP national president Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah. A media report had claimed Jay Shah’s business had grown by many folds after the BJP came to power in Centre in 2014.

Pilot also refuted BJP’s charge that Congress was instigating Patidars to agitate for OBC quota. “Gujarat is lagging behind on every parameter, be it unemployment, issues of farmers, economic slowdown, worries of the middle class etc, but it is being presented as if Gujarat model is the best model. Despite that, BJP accuses Congress of doing caste-based politics. This party has been ruling Gujarat for the last two decades. If different communities are unsatisfied with their demands and are agitating and if the government tries to crush them by using police, beats up people, injures them, how Congress is responsible for that? Our party is merely giving a platform to their leaders and making an honest effort as to how their demands, aspirations can be fulfilled in a legal framework. BJP will have to introspect as to what are the reasons why it is targeting the Opposition when it is paying the price of crushing aspirations of people thanks to whose shoulders it ruled for 20 years,” Pilot further said without specifying the Patidar quota stir and the uprising of Dalits in the state after the Una atrocities.

Apparently referring to release of CDs targeting Patidar quota stir leader Hardik Patel, the Congress leader said that the politics of character assassination to which the BJP has resorted to was not a healthy tradition. “You issue a white paper and declare you give this to farmers, this to industries, this to the middle class, these many jobs you created etc. Let there be a debate on that,” he added.

He took potshots at the ruling party over Anandiben Patel’s resignation as chief minister and claimed that Vijay Rupani was made her successor as the party wanted a scapegoat should it lose the election. “Why Anandiben Patel was removed from the post of chief minister and Rupani was made the new CM? I believe they have made Rupani the CM to ensure that if the BJP loses the election, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are not blamed. This is the reason they have provisioned for a scapegoat so that if they lose election tomorrow, they can say that lost it due to the CM,” said Pilot.

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Earlier, while interacting with youths at an event organised by Youth Congress, Pilot sought to counter BJP on the issue of nationalism as defined by the saffron party. “What was the meaning of asking school children to sing the National Anthem at Sawai Man Sigh Stadium in Jaipur on the anniversary of demonetisation? When everything fails, BJP resorts to nationalism for doing its politics. They would then talk of temples, Taj Mahal etc but would skirt debate on why mung dal is selling at Rs 150 per kg,” said Pilot asserting asking questions of government did not make one anti-national.

He also targeted Rupani over the same issue. “They failed on every count. I read the statement of Gujarat CM yesterday. He said the election of Gujarat will be fought on the issue of nationalism. Why? Is there a war going on? Are we planning to invade any country? We want to discuss fertiliser, seeds, electricity, price rise, roads etc. Don’t we have right to ask how many promises that you had made in the manifesto have been fulfilled? Do voters and Opposition have right to ask this question? They are saying no, the election will be fought on the issue of nationalism.

He also sought to negate BJP charge of Congress being opposed to Gujarat. “As a matter of fact, when Manmohan Singh, a Congress leader was the prime minister and Modi was Gujarat CM, Gujarat was growing. But since Modi became PM and Gujarat continued to have BJP CM in Anandiben Patel and Vijay Rupani, the growth rate has slowed down,” said the Congress leader.