Accusing Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat of "abetting corruption", BJP today charged Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul Gandhi with "complicity" and asked them to respond to graft charges against him.
State BJP leaders, including former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, Satpal Maharaj and Anil Baluni, today held a press conference in which Baluni alleged that "Harda Tax" has been imposed in the state as Rawat wants to recover the money he allegedly spent on winning over MLAs during the recent political crisis in the state.
'Harda', he said, was the name used for Rawat by others in the state.
Maharaja demanded a high level probe into charges of land grabbing against an OSD and Adviser to the Chief Minister, claiming that he will resign from the active politics if they were proved wrong. BJP will take to matter to the President and Union Home Ministry.
BJP leaders alleged that there was "rampant corruption" in mining and excise department and said three stings involving Rawat and other Congress leaders had "showed" it.
Rawat has rejected these charges in the past, accusing BJP and the Centre of running a campaign against him after failing to topple his government.
Maharaja said Uttarakhand is considered 'dev bhumi' (land of Gods) where sins committed elsewhere are washed away but Rawat's "sins" in 'dev bhum' cannot be pardoned.
Targeting Congress' central leadership, Ramesh said, "Rawat's misdeeds have a connection with Delhi... It shows Sonia and Rahul Gandhi's unbounded love for him. Sonia Gandhi should answer.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
