Rahul Gandhi mocks BJP's 'India shining' campaign

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Haldwani, Jan 24 : Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhion Tuesday made a scathing attack on the 2004 'India Shining' campaign slogan of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and said the country will not shine if leaders continue to sit in air-conditioned houses.

Addressing a public rally in Uttarakhand's Haldwani town, Gandhi said: "The state government of Uttarakhand has ruled in the state for five years but never visited their constituencies. They never visited a village nor talked to the farmers. They never asked the labour class about their problems but gave a mock slogan, 'India Shining'."

He further said the clean up act of removing tainted ministers was fake, and aimed to win public sympathy.

"When three months were left for the elections, they (Bharatiya Janata Party) brought Khanduri (B C Khanduri) saying that the move was necessary. This three-month target is very amusing," said Gandhi.

"In Uttar Pradesh too, the chief minister Mayawati sacked 20-25 ministers around three months ago. Those lawmakers were indulged in corrupt practices since past five years, but it was three months ago Mayawati removed them saying that they were corrupt. The sacked corrupt leaders did not join Congress, but moved to BJP," he added.

It may be recalled here that sacked Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Babu Singh Kushwaha was earlier inducted in BJP with an eye on the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

However, it kicked up a storm of protests within the BJP, as several of its leaders voiced unhappiness over his alleged involvement in the National Rural Health Mission fund scam in Uttar Pradesh.

Gandhi further criticised BJP for changing their word over the passage of much debated Lokpal Bill in the Winter Session of Parliament, saying that the Central Government could not be held responsible for the failure to pass an effective graft-fighting bill.

"We had said that the Lokpal should be an autonomous body like the Election Commission of the country. It should work under anyone's pressure rather it should be a constitutional body and it should function independently but the BJP leaders who went on an anti- corruption rally discarded the bill in the Parliament by pressing the red button," he added.

Veteran anti- graft crusader Anna Hazare has been at loggerheads with the Congress Party over the Lokpal Bill.