GUWAHATI, Oct 21 - The ruling BJP has accused the Congress of trying to mislead the people on the issues of corruption and prevalence of syndicates.
State BJP spokesperson Pramod Swami said that the government led by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has adopted a policy of �zero tolerance� with regard to corruption and nepotism.
�Some Congress leaders in recent days have spoken about the so-called syndicates. They should speak with facts and figures in place. The Sonowal government has adopted a zero tolerance policy on any kind of corruption and malpractices. In contrast, the previous regime led by Tarun Gogoi patronised those people who engaged in the APSC scam. That government took no action against the people accused of scams and corruption. The Sonowal government has not hesitated to act against any official accused of corruption and many senior officers have been put behind the bars during past two years,� he said.
Swami added, �That proves that zero tolerance is not merely a slogan. Rather, it has been practised on the ground and action has been taken.�
He claimed that the BJP-led government has launched a major crackdown on corruption.
�No other Chief Minister in the history of Assam has taken such bold steps,� said the BJP spokesperson.
Asked about accusations by the Congress that some ruling party cadres are involved in running syndicates in the State, Swami said, �The Chief Minister has stated clearly that there will be no discrimination on the fight against corruption and illegal practices. If any member of our party is found involved in any such activities, that person will not be spared. The Congress leaders should look at their own party�s track record before hurling accusations at us. Congress is synonymous with corruption and nepotism.�
He said that many scams surfaced during the tenure of the previous UPA regime in the Centre.
�However, since the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over four and half ago, not even a single such incident has come up. Now the Opposition is trying to rake up the Rafale issue. The fact is that even the Chief of Air Staff stated recently that the fighter jets purchased under the deal have come at a very cheap rate,� Swami said.
He accused successive Congress regimes at the Centre of ignoring and neglecting the defence sector.
�The previous Congress regimes always claimed that there is no money to purchase equipment for our jawans. Even bulletproof jackets and boots and other basic equipment could not be purchased by the UPA government. The last fighter planes were purchased decades ago. And now, a day has come when our government has not only signed the Rafale deal but is also purchasing the latest missile systems from abroad. The Chief of Army Staff has said that our forces are now moving towards preparedness to fight a two-front war. There is no doubt on the bravery and dedication of our armed forces personnel, but they also need latest gadgets and equipment and the NDA regime has managed in providing state-of-the-art equipment to our forces, something which the previous government could not do. Now the Congress has started making baseless accusations regarding procurement of Rafale jets,� Swami said.
He added, �Nobody in the country now takes the Congress party seriously.�
