Sonia has not responded to questions on scams: BJP

New Delhi: BJP countered Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s attack alleging that she has failed to respond to questions on coalgate and other scams while raking up the corruption issue time and again. “Gandhi has been raising the issue of corruption in her public speeches everywhere be it in Rajkot, Mangalore, Haryana or even today in Mandi (Himachal Pradesh)…. What has she done on the 2G spectrum scam? And Sheila Dikshit is still the Chief Minister of Delhi despite a Prime Minister appointed Committee indicting her.” “We have not heard a word from Gandhi on her stand on black money or coalgate,” BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said after the Congress president took on the ruling BJP as she kickstarted assembly election campaign in Himachal Pradesh. “At the Burari Meet (of the Congress), she gave a five point diktat on fighting corruption,” the spokesperson said. [caption id=“attachment_499036” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Congress President Sonia Gandhi waves to the crowd as former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and other party leaders look on during an election rally in Mandi. PTI[/caption] The opposition party alleged that while Gandhi speaks about corruption, Congress and UPA have done virtually nothing to deal with it. It alleged that while the issue of corruption has reached the doorstep of Sonia Gandhi, she only adds questions to the script of her speeches and does not provide any answers and clarifications. “Her script-writer gives her the same speech everywhere,” Sitharaman said. The party also alleged that Gandhi has not responded to questions on the allegations levelled against Robert Vadra, and on issues like Aircel-Maxis Deal, ISRO-Dewas and the Commonwealth Games and other scams and hit out at her for sharing the dais with state Congress chief Virbhadra Singh. “Today (at Mandi) she was sharing the dais with a former union minister— Virbhadra Singh— who is facing prosecution charges in a corruption case while another accusation has come up against him. And now there is a third case exposed by a media house,” Sitharaman said, adding Singh had quit the Cabinet when charges of corruption came up against him. BJP alleged that the problems in Himachal Pradesh have been caused due to the “step-motherly” treatment of the Congress-led UPA government towards the state. Enumerating some instances, Sitharaman said though the hill state had sought Rs 150 crore for maintainence of roads damaged during the rains, only Rs five crore has been sanctioned. The state government has also demanded that like the north-eastern states, Himachal Pradesh should also be asked to pay only 10 percent for the central schemes while the Centre should bear the 90 percent. BJP also charged that the Centre had not sanctioned funds for the Bhakra Beas Management Board project in Himachal Pradesh. “The state government has a share of seven percent in the project which the Centre was not paying. It was only when the government went to court that the Centre released Rs 4,250 Crore,” Sitharaman said. The states share of rice, sugar and LPG is also not being sanctioned by the Centre, BJP alleged. Polling will be held in the hill state on 24 November. BJP is trying to retain power in Himachal Pradesh which has a tradition of voting out the incumbent party. PTI