BJP seeks Cong reply to corruption charges in highway project

BJP today accused Congress of promoting crony capitalism and demanded answers from it after an investigative report by a web portal claimed that UPA ministers had changed norms in the Golden Quadrilateral highway project to help private contractors.
The party also accused Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi of indulging in politics of negativism and branded him a "Nawab of Negativity", questioning whether money siphoned off the highways project was shared with him.
Investigative news portal 'Cobrapost' has come out with a report "discretionary bending of rules marked UPA bid to enhance GQ highway project". It said the government bent the rules to help the private sector. This was done despite concerns raised by bureaucrats in various ministries.

"Norms were changed in violation of all rules in order to satisfy relationship between Congress and crony contractors, between Congress and crony capitalists.
"The question we have is why is the Congress keeping quiet about this massive corruption... Ministers have been named. Who got the money. Where did the money go? Who shared the money? Did the money go to all the way up to the top in Congress including to Rahul Gandhi? Is that Why Congress is quiet and silent?" BJP national spokesperson M J Akbar said.
He said Rahul has become "Nawab of Negativism" and "Nawab of Negativity".

Akbar said silence is a cover-up and a tool to disguise corruption and Congress has tried to get away with silence. "Congress can no longer get away with silence," he said.
"Why is the silence? After all, the senior-most ministers are involved. The officials of PMO are involved," he said, noting that "truth is with the government and that is why the government and the party have a future".
The web portal said on September 15, 2006, the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI) headed by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh decided to lower the specification for 6-lanes to allow lower traffic from 40,000 car units per day to 25,000 car units per day, besides other norms/rules changed to hasten project implementation.