A minister in the Congress-led dispensation in Madhya Pradesh on Sunday dubbed the previous BJP government as "plunderers worse than Mahmud Ghaznavi" which has emptied out the state public exchequer.
State General Administration and Cooperative Minister Govind Singh went on to say that BJP ministers, during the 15-year rule from 2003, hollowed out the state financially, going one up on Ghaznavi who "looted Somnath temple in Gujarat but left something back out of pity".
Mahmud of Ghazni, who ruled between 998-1030 AD, is reviled in Indian history as a merciless plunderer who ransacked the fabled riches of the Somnath temple in 1025 AD.
"The BJP government under Shivraj Singh Chouhan looted the state like Mahmud Ghaznavi. No department was spared," Singh said while speaking to reporters here.
He added, "The state stands hollow now and is in a quagmire of debt. This is causing trouble for chief minister Kamal Nathji at every step".
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Singh claimed the Congress government, which came to power in December last year, had stopped the "loot" and was trying to stem the rot that had seeped in.
"As far as my knowledge goes, Mahmud Ghaznavi plundered India, he looted Somnath temple, but left something back there out of pity. The BJP left nothing (in MP). They are godfathers of Ghaznavi," he lashed out.
Queried on the churn in the Congress unit over the post of MP unit chief, as well as a letter-poster war, he said the party comprised of "lively people" with the right to their views across.
Known for his wit as well as off-the-cuff remarks, Singh had earlier put the Congress in a spot by claiming that "90 per cent policemen and 10 per cent mining officials" were involved in illegal sand and stone mining".
The BJP had latched on to his remarks and accused the state government of failing to curb irregularities in mining.
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