Rahul Gandhi labels poll-bound Madhya Pradesh as 'BJP's laboratory'
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of turning Madhya Pradesh into its laboratory. "In BJP's laboratory, the dead are treated, and their money is stolen. This doesn't happen anywhere else in India," Gandhi said. Alleging corruption by the BJP, he was referring to veteran politician LK Advani's book wherein he opined that MP—not Gujarat—was the BJP's "original laboratory."
Why does this story matter?
Gandhi's scathing attack on the BJP came a day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the upcoming assembly elections in five states, including Madhya Pradesh. MP is currently governed by the BJP under Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The Congress won the previous 2018 elections, but its government collapsed in 2020 after 22 of its MLAs joined the BJP.
Gandhi on alleged Ayushman Bharat scam in MP
Addressing a rally in Shahdol, MP, Gandhi made the "dead being treated" remark, referring to MP's alleged Ayushman Bharat scam. In August, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) found grave irregularities in the Centre-administered health scheme in MP. It said Rs. 1.1 crore was paid to "dead patients." It also found government hospitals there showed a higher occupancy than their actual capacity.
BJP attacked over Vyapam scam, other issues
Gandhi further targeted the MP government for jeopardizing the youth's future. About the Vyapam admission and recruitment scam, he asserted the future of one crore youngsters was being ruined in Vyapam. "MBBS seats are sold, and Rs. 15 lakh has to be given to become a registrar," he claimed. The other issues highlighted by the Congress leader included farmer suicides and human rights violations.
Gandhi on farmer suicides, human rights violations
"In BJP's laboratory (MP), 18,000 farmers have died by suicide in 18 years. In BJP's laboratory, their leaders urinate on Adivasis (Scheduled Tribes). This is what Advani meant when he said that BJP-RSS laboratory will be built in Madhya Pradesh," Gandhi added.
Calls for caste-based census across India
Gandhi also called for a pan-India caste-based census. Labeling it as the "X-ray" of India, he argued such a measure would reveal the truth about minorities. He said, "What rights should be given to Adivasis? What part should be given to the [Other Backward Classes] and ST categories? This is the question in front of the country...that's why we are talking about caste census."
