By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Bhopal: Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal has challenged Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan, Chief Minister of Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), ruled Madhya Pradesh, to take steps to implement Jan Lokpal Bill in the state. He dared Mr. Chouhan to enact the said Bill by presenting it in the state Vidhan Sabha and getting it passed as BJP is showing too much enthusiasm in supporting the Bill.
Addressing the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, (MPCC), office-bearers at the party office here on Wednesday evening, Sibal said that though the next Madhya Pradesh Vidhan election is almost two years away, but if the Bill is passed right now then the corruption cases against the ministers and officers could be investigated and truth would come out before the electorate.
Mr. Sibal was in Bhopal in connection with the convocation ceremony of the National Law Institute University, (NLIU), where he was the chief guest of the function.
Citing reports of central investigating agencies, Mr. Sibal alleged that in the last eight years the BJP government has not shown significant progress in any of the fields. He alleged that the crimes against children, atrocities meted on SCs/STs, rapes and instances of malnutrition among children are highest in the state than the rest of the country. He accused the state government of not showing concern for people’s welfare and misusing central funds meant for various welfare schemes.
Mr. Sibal said that the Centre is providing 67 per cent grant to implement the right to education but the state which is supposed to spend 33 per cent from its share is not spending it. As a result the state government is lagging in human resources development, he said.
Sibal charged that the starvation scene in Madhya Pradesh is worse than that of Ethiopia. He urged the Congress workers to expose the failures of the BJP and ensure proper use of funds given to the state under the Central schemes. ([email protected])