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| BJP allegations against Mangat Ram Sharma have wider political contours | | | ET Special Correspondent
Jammu | Oct 4
Serious allegations leveled by some BJP leaders against the senior most Congress leader in the state and Cabinet Minister in Ghulam Nabi Azad government, Mangat Ram Sharma have much wider political contours than seem the eyes. This salvo fired by two BJP Pradesh General Secretaries is attributed by deep observers of the political goings on in the state, as a part of PDP campaign to tarnish the image of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad by rubbishing his claim of all out war on corruption. The leveling of these charges on the Congress Minister, on the very day Ghulam Nabi Azad virtually accepted the resignation of former PDP minister in his government, Qazi Mohammad Afzal by divesting him of the portfolio of Housing and Urban Development as well and allotting the same to Aijaz Ahmad Khan, a Gujjar leader, the community whom Azad is all out to woo, for the forthcoming elections to achieve the target of Congress winning simple majority or getting nearto it on its own and forming the government, is not a co-incident, according to the shrew observers. The PDP which so far was firing shots on the Chief Minister through friendly section of media, by making selective leaks, has now chosen another shoulder for keeping the gun to fire at Ghulam Nabi Azad and other senior Congress leaders, charging them of corruption, the observers believe.
If PDP is behind the move, why Pt Mangat Ram Sharma is chosen to be the target? The explanation is that Mangat Ram was the first to announce at RS Pura rally that Congress would fight next assembly elections on its own and for its government. He has been the loudest spokesman rubbishing PDP's self rule and demilitarization mantra. Further during Mufti Government, in which Mangat Ram Sharma was Deputy Chief Minister, it was he who stalled many anti Jammu and Kashmir centric moves by the PDP and the Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Sharma's spearheading the debate in the assembly, defeating the resolution for amending the constitution to deprive women married to non state subjects, of the right to PRC is cited as an example.
Refuting the charges made by the BJP against their leader, some Congressmen close to Mangat Ram Sharma level counter charges against some BJP leaders, including the State Unit President Ashok Khajuria and senior party leader, the former MoS in the Union government, Chaman Lal Gupta, of having amassed huge wealth and properties through under hand means. Stating that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones on others, the circles close to Mangat Ram Sharma have disclosed that they are contemplating to make startling revelations about the exploits of some senior state BJP leaders, for which they are collecting the data. In this regard they cite that Ashok Khajuria, the son of an official in the electrical department at very junior scale, has today become very wealthy, without having any known source of income. He is alleged to have partnership in benami in some lucrative business concerns. Similarly the Congress circles alleged that the former MoS in Vajpayee government, Chaman Lal Gupta, as MoS Civil Aviation, incharge Airport Authority of India had assigned the contract for erecting gates and other huge fabrication works in the airports including at Jammu airport to his close relative. Similarly he, as MoS Defense is alleged to have earned huge money in purchase of bullet proof jackets in lakhs for the soldiers, the contract for which too is alleged to have been allotted to his own family members. He is also reported to have exerted his influence for allotment of prime lands in Jammu belonging to the forest department, to his close relatives.
In the meanwhile it is learnt that Mangat Ram Sharma has sent a detail report to the Chief Minister, refuting all the charges one by one in detail, so that the Chief Minister has not to be defensive on his count. He and those close to him, on his behave, are also contemplating to file a libel suit in the court of law against the BJP leaders who have made scathing charges against him. In explanation to why it are the second rung leaders of BJP who have come out with these charges, it is suggested that Shamsher Singh, a resident of Palura in the outskirts of Jammu city, which falls under Jammu city West constituency, from where Mangat Ram Sharma was elected in the 2002 assembly elections with huge margin, is aspiring to get BJP ticket for the next elections. To press his claim for the same and to come in the lime light and prove one upmanship in the party circles over Prof Hari Om, who has been only recently made incharge of the constituency, which is believed prelude to the party fielding him from here in the next elections, which has unnerved Shamsher Singh who was long spirant for the same. |
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