BJP Harping on Article 370 Move, Mum on Pulwama Probe, Says Chhattisgarh CM

Nagpur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday hit out at the BJP for making the abrogation of provisions of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir a poll issue, and asked the ruling party if any inquiry had started into the February 14 Pulwama terror attack.

Baghel was addressing a press conference here as part of the Congress campaign for the October 21 Maharashtra Assembly polls.

While the Congress has been targetting the Union government over what it claimed was a severe economic slowdown in the country, Baghel said his state Chhattisgarh had managed to buck the trend and was doing well financially.

Speaking on the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF troopers were killed, Baghel said, "The BJP is blowing its own trumpet on the revocation of Article 370. But will it tell us whether an inquiry has started into the Pulwama attack."

"On a route where even a bird cannot fly, someone reached with 250 kilogrammes of RDX. Who is responsible for that? Our country lost jawans and families lost their loved ones. But we still do not know who is responsible," he said.

He said details of the Pulwama attack were like demonetisation as people have no clue how much money got deposited into banks in the latter.

He said the BJP had promised to double the income of farmers while campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls but had failed to move on it, leading to a spate of farmer suicides in Maharashtra.

Maharashtra, ruled by the BJP-Shiv Sena, had not seen development in the irrigation sector which had left farmers suffering, the Chhattisgarh CM said.

Claiming that the economic sector in his state was robust, Baghel said, "There is economic slowdown across the country but not in Chhattisgarh. After the Congress came to power (in 2018), we have waived off Rs 10,000 crore farm loans and have given minimum support price of Rs 2500 per quintal for foodgrains."

He said his government had purchased Rs 20,000 crore worth of farm produce and transferred money into the accounts of cultivators, leaving them cash-rich to make purchases.

He said Chhattisgarh saw a 11 per cent growth in the auto sector while the country faced a 19 per cent dip.