The Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party over Nationalist Congress Party MLAs joining the Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra, describing it as proof of the Centre "misusing" probe agencies to break Opposition parties.
"This is the real face of the BJP," said the AAP's national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop talking about ethics, honesty and fight against corruption.
Two days ago, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar led a vertical split in the party to become deputy chief minister in the one-year-old Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra, shocking his uncle Sharad Pawar, who founded the outfit 24 years ago after quitting the Congress.
Besides Ajit Pawar, eight other NCP MLAs, including Chhagan Bhujbal and Hasan Mushrif, were sworn in as ministers in the Shinde cabinet.
"The prime minister at a rally in Bhopal said action against corruption is Modi's guarantee. Within three days, his slogan changed. Now Modi ji is saying it is his guarantee that every corrupt person will be made a minister," Singh charged at a press conference.
Ajit Pawar was made deputy chief minister and other NCP MLAs ministers in the Eknath Shinde government days after the prime minister talked about their alleged involvement in scams worth about Rs 70,000 crore, he said.
"What happened in Maharashtra is the living example of how the CBI, ED and other central probe agencies are being used as tools to break other parties and poach their MLA," the AAP MP charged and asked PM Modi to 'stop talking about ethics, honesty and fight against graft".
Singh said NCP MLA Mushrif, against whom the Enforcement Directorate was conducting a probe, and Chhagan Bhujbal, allegedly involved in the Maharashtra Sadan scam, have been made ministers.
"BJP leader Kirit Somaya, who had been pressing for Mushrif's arrest in connection with an alleged scam worth Rs 100 crore, is today hiding," the AAP spokesperson said.
He referred various other leaders including Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Shuvendu Adhikari and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, to claims that they faced corruption allegations before joining the BJP.
"From east to west and north to south, Modi washing powder has become so popular because it will wash you of all sins. Be it murder, loot, rape or corruption, Modi washing powder can clean all sins," Singh charged.
