Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi on Tuesday accused the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government in Chhattisgarh of `looting' the state in the last five years.
Speaking at a public rally in Beltara assembly constituency in Bilaspur as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's `Parivartan Yatra' campaign, she also hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks alleging that the saffron party favoured the Adani group.
During the 'Awas Nyay Sammelan' gathering organised by the state government in Parsada (Sakri) village in Bilaspur on Monday, Gandhi had waved a remote control device and said the poor and needy benefited when the Congress presses it, while "Adani gets ports, airports and railway contracts" when the BJP presses it.
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The Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture said, “The brightness of the BJP's 'parivartan' (change) can be felt here because there is darkness in the entire state. What this state had gained in 15 years under the BJP government was looted by the Congress in five years."
Chhattisgarh, known for good governance during the BJP rule, is now known as an "apradh-garh" (den of crime), she said.
Lekhi dubbed Chief Minister Baghel and Rahul Gandhi as 'Labra' (liar) and 'Babda' (apparently loud-mouth) and accused them of spreading lies.
“One is Labra and his friend Babda who had come yesterday (referring to Rahul Gandhi). He said press one button and farmers will receive money in their accounts. The people of Chhattisgarh are innocent, not ignorant. They know very well that the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been giving Kisan Samman Nidhi to farmers. Before that no government had given Kisan Samman Nidhi,” Lekhi said.
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"They (Congress) emptied Chhattisgarh and filled their accounts. Not only Chhattisgarh but in 70 years, they emptied several states and the country," she said.
During Monday's event, Gandhi had said, "There are two remote controls. When we press it, farmers receive money into their accounts through the Nyay scheme and English-medium schools get opened (in Chhattisgarh). But when the BJP presses a remote, the public sector gets privatised and `jal-jungle-zameen' (water, forests and land) goes to Adani."
Lekhi also targeted the Baghel government over alleged scams and said it did not even spare 'gobar' (referring to the state government's cow dung procurement scheme) and committed corruption there as well.
The Union minister also accused the Congress government of snatching houses of the poor by `not releasing' the state's share of funds under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Assembly elections are due in the state by the year-end.
