GUWAHATI, June 9 � Demanding that the Centre immediately declare the names of Indians having black money in foreign banks and seize the amounts, the BJP today said that it would continue to fight the authoritarian stance of the Government in suppressing growing democratic protests against all-pervasive corruption in the country.
Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said that the BJP was the first to raise the issue of black money which had been in its poll manifesto since 2009. �But the Congress-led UPA Government � despite putting the issue in its 100-day roadmap after assuming power � is now trying to shield those stashing black money in foreign banks, which is most condemnable,� he said.
Asserting that the people have every right to know the names of those keeping black money, Hussain said that corruption had become the hallmark of the Government. �But for the stringent monitoring by the Supreme Court, the expose in the media besides a consistent highlighting by the BJP of the rampant corruption taking place in the highest spheres of the Government, the Congress would have hushed up the matters and brush it under the carpet,� he said, adding that the Government would be remembered for the open licence to loot precious natural resources and an absolute unwillingness to take any meaningful action unless compelled by the apex court.
�Corruption cannot cease to be an issue just because the Congress got a mandate of the people�action on the corrupt must be taken, and we will not relent until that materializes,� he asserted.
Equating the police highhandedness at Ramlila ground with the Jalianwalabag massacre during the British regime, Hussain said that the Congress party was betraying a dictatorial mindset and the developments were reminiscent of the emergency of 1975 when the Congress leaders exhibited the same blatant disregard for the constitutional rights of the common man through their action as well as words. �It has forfeited its right to speak for the aam admi (common man),� he added.
Alleging that the night crackdown on the protesters was engineered by the hawkish fraction of the Congress including Home Minister P Chidambaram and HRD Minister Kapil Sibal even though a move was on to have a dialogue with the agitators, Hussain said that the �one-upmanship tussle within the UPA saw the Congress party and the UPA Government speaking with divergent voices and the party virtually disowning the Government�s action.�
Accusing Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of double standards, Hussain questioned why he was silent on the police atrocity on peaceful protesters and had not shown the zeal shown earlier in the case of the police atrocities on farmers at Bhatta-Parsaul. �Both Rahul Gandhi and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi have not even condemned the incident, which shows exposes the full complicity and connivance of the Congress president and the Gandhi family�Sonia Gandhi owes an apology and explanation to the nation for this,� he added.
Hussain also said that Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh was having a bout of �oral diarrhoea�, Hussain said that his utterances were devoid of any sense whatsoever.
On the debacle of the BJP in the Assam polls, Hussain, while ruling out any change in the State leadership, said that there were �lapses� on the party�s part as it could not connect with the people in the desired manner.
