Snooping row: BJP steps up attack on Cong for rejecting Commission

New Delhi: BJP today stepped up its attack on Congress for rejecting the two-member Commission headed by a retired woman judge to look into the alleged snooping of a woman in Gujarat and said the ruling party has employed its “dirty-tricks” department to work on the issue. The opposition party also hit out at Congress for “repeating” its earlier strategy of batting for suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt and now for retired IAS officer Pradeep Sharma against whom cases of corruption have been filed by Gujarat government. [caption id=“attachment_1253879” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Amit Shah. PTI [/caption] BJP Deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Ravi Shankar Prasad said Sharma had on May 12, 2011, through his counsel Gonsalves, withdrawn all allegations in Supreme Court made out by him as “unintended” and “wrong”, which have now subsequently come forth. “Did this officer try to take the Supreme Court for a ride? Why he kept quiet for two years? It was his petition (in the Supreme Court),” he said. Prasad also alleged the way Congress batted for Sanjiv Bhatt, today the same thing is happening. It is unfortunate." He said coming Lok Sabha and present assembly elections in five states are going to be fought on “misgovernance”, price rise, rampant corruption, “economic decline and a sense of insecurity” in the country. “Congress has no response to all these queries. They are shirking on all these details. After two years and six months, Congress has come out with the same kind of allegations which were withdrawn in the Supreme Court. Surely, it is nothing but the handiwork of the dirty tricks department of Congress party,” he said. Prasad said Congress is keeping the issue alive and holding a discussion on it even when a Commission has been set up and Gujarat government “does not want to hide anything”. Attacking Congress spokesperson P C Chacko for saying the snooping probe is an “eyewash” by Gujarat government, Prasad said “a man who literally compromised the integrity of JPC, as being the worst chief of JPC in the history of Indian Parliament is today calling the Commission headed by a retired judge as bad. I leave it there.” Dismissing as “eyewash” and “matchfixing” the probe ordered Gujarat government into the snoopgate, Congress said nothing short of an inquiry by a Supreme Court judge will do. BJP also questioned the demand made by Congress for a CBI probe into the allegations made out by Trinamool MP Kunal Ghosh against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and wondered if Congress was trying to open a front to corner her by “misusing” the CBI. “Is Congress trying to seek a CBI probe? Does it want to open another front on Mamata Banerjee? This is a larger question”, Prasad said. PTI