BJP questions LoP Gandhi's 'silence' over 'Congress' links' with exam irregularities

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday questioned Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's "silence" following the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) actions against the aides of two senior Congress leaders in connection with exam irregularities.

The BJP's reaction comes after former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat resigned from two party posts after the ED seized large amount of cash and jewellery from his personal assistant (PA) Chandan Singh Jeena.

On Monday, the ED arrested former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel's former OSD Chetan Borghariya, in the case of illegal appointments of DSPs and Collectors through exam paper leaks.

Addressing a press conference, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj said: "It seems that the only business conducted in the Congress party’s so-called ‘Mohabbat ki Dukaan’, is that of corruption. I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, on one hand, he talks about students, but when people from his own party tamper with the future of the nation’s youth and students, does that 'goonj' fail to reach his ears?"

Bansuri Swaraj's jibe was in reference to LoP Rahul Gandhi's 'Chattron ki Goonj' programmes over the repeated NEET paper leaks in the country.

She further said: "All of you recently witnessed that in Uttarakhand, the ED raided the premises of former Chief Minister Harish Rawat's PA in connection with the VPDO exam scam. The ED recovered assets and properties vastly disproportionate to the PA's known sources of income during the raids. This raises grave questions regarding the Congress government's machinery, especially their recruitment system."

Referring to the arrest of Bhupesh Baghel's former OSD in the purported CGPSC scam, she reiterated that such incidents raise "grave questions"

"Recently, the son of a politician has been accused of taking cut money in outsourced recruitments in Himachal Pradesh," she claimed.

Targeting LoP Rahul Gandhi, Swaraj said: "You talk about big things like future of the students and unemployment , but when it comes to Congress party's own leaders and serious questions over political patronage are raised, why do you become silent on it?"

Meanwhile, the BJP MP lashed out at the Congress after Chief Ministers of Telangana, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, skipped the dinner invitation at the recently-held BRICS Summit.

Maintaining that there should be no discord when it comes to national interest, she said: "It is deeply distressing that when all three Chief Ministers of the Congress party were extended an invitation to the dinner at the BRICS Summit, instead of prioritising national interest, they prioritised their partisan party politics. According to media reports, it was reported that Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had initially agreed to attend the dinner and had accepted the invitation; however, due to political compulsions, it appears he subsequently informed the government that he would not attend."

Questioning the Congress, she asked: "In their opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have they now started opposing Bharat Mata as well? Don't you think that the BRICS was not a political platform of the BJP but rather a platform for India's reputation?"

"Skipping of the invitation by the three Chief Ministers, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was speaking about 'Team India', was extremely shameful," she remarked.

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