BJP in serious business of poaching, abducting MLAs and stealing govts: Cong

Terming the recent developments in Madhya Pradesh an insult to democracy, senior Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said the saffron party attempts to destabilise non-BJP governments in states.

"The BJP has fine-tuned the art of poaching and abducting MLAs and stealing governments," he said.

Sharma questioned why the BJP was intolerant towards non-BJP governments in states which have come to power with public mandate.

"The BJP is a ruling party and is expected to follow certain norms and democratic principles but they are now seriously in the business of poaching MLAs and stealing governments," he told a press conference here.

Sharma said the Congress condemned the BJP for creating a crisis in Madhya Pradesh by poaching MLAs and taking them to Bengaluru.

"It is against political morality, mandate of people and against principles and precedents of parliamentary democracy," he said.

The senior Congress leader said a few months back, the same modus-operandi was there in Karnataka and earlier they "stole" governments in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Goa.

"This party is so strong with the majority of over 300 members in the Lok Sabha and in government in many states of the country. Why is the BJP intolerant towards the existence of non-BJP governments in major states which have come into office because of popular mandate," he asked.

Sharma also accused the government of not being serious on holding a debate in Parliament on Delhi riots.

"The government is neither serious, it lacks compassion, it remains adamant and insensitive. It wants to avoid a serious deliberation on the worst communal riots in the history of Delhi. It was expected that when the Parliament reconvenes, this will be the first matter to be taken up," he said.

The Congress leaders in both houses have been giving notices but despite being assured that there will be a discussion on Wednesday it has not taken place.

"It is a very sad reflection on our democracy and on Parliament that we have not given that message of reassurance to the people of Delhi and to the citizens of India that the Indian Parliament has taken serious cognizance of the communal violence, riots, killings of large number of people, injuries to hundreds and displacement of thousands," he noted.

Training his guns on the prime minister, he said, "We want to tell the Prime Minister and the Government that this is not the way a serious challenge has to be addressed. We are yet to hear even outside Parliament a word of compassion or expression of grief from the Prime Minister. Only he can explain in Parliament why he has been conspicuously silent over this tragedy that unfolded in nation's capital."

He said they can delay the debate, but they cannot evade accountability as a government. It would have been better if the prime minister, on his own, on the first day itself, had come up with a statement in both the Houses to initiate the discussion which can be responded to by the Home Minister.