Rattled at losing Bihar, BJP resorts to 'divide and rule': Congress

Mumbai, Aug 24 (IANS) The Congress' Maharashtra unit on Wednesday claimed that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre is rattled after losing power in Bihar and is now "becoming more brutal than British" with "an undeclared emergency" in the country and a policy of "divide and rule".

State Congress President Nana Patole said that feeling "restless" after Bihar slipped out of its hands, the BJP is now hounding various Opposition-ruled states and parties through its weapons of the CBI, the ED, the IT and other central agencies to topple the state governments or break the non-BJP parties.

"The CBI, ED, IT selectively targets those leaders or political parties which do not support the BJP. The BJP is working to eliminate all the Opposition in the country. Since 2014, the country has witnessed the BJP's dictatorial rule and an atmosphere of undeclared emergency," he said.

Patole was speaking to media persons after a major ruckus erupted outside the Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan this morning, between the supporters of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Nationalist Congress Party-Congress-Shiv Sena legislators that shocked the people of the state.

He added that the ongoing action by probe agencies against the Aam Aadmi Party Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in Delhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders in Bihar is "another example of how the BJP has been blatantly misusing these central agencies" against political rivals to silence them or bring down state governments.

"Till 2014, all the governments in the country worked on the principles of federal democracy and Constitution, but after that things have changed with the BJP adopting an autocratic style of functioning and 'divide and rule' tactics that are more brutal than the British," Patole said sharply.

He recalled how the BJP had swept to power with promises of reducing inflation, doubling farmers incomes, providing two crore jobs every year, bringing back the black money stashed abroad, etc.

However, after coming to government, the BJP has forgotten its promises and the result is a soaring inflation, huge joblessness, massive distress in the agrarian sector while "a handful of industrialists" have benefitted.

When the opposition parties/leaders raise these real issues, the BJP diverts attention with religious or communal politics, and other issues to avoid giving replies, he reiterated.

"But now, the people of the country are totally now fed up with the BJP's methods and they will teach it a lesson in the coming elections," predicted Patole.