Agartala, March 11: In a scathing attack on the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Tripura, the Congress on Tuesday alleged that large-scale corruption is weakening the Indian economy, drawing parallels between the current regime and the colonial-era East India Company.
The party claimed that while the East India Company once plundered India, the present-day “West India Company,” led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and industrialists like Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, is continuing the loot under a different guise.
Addressing a public rally in Agartala, AICC observer and All India Congress Seva Dal president Lalji Desai slammed the BJP, accusing the central government of failing to protect national interests while facilitating large-scale corruption through major corporate houses.
Desai further alleged that in Tripura, the BJP-led government has turned into a “government of commission,” where no project or scheme gets sanctioned without paying bribes to ruling party leaders and government officials.
“During the UPA government led by Dr. Manmohan Singh, BJP and few other people who wanted to establish their political party had conspired to frame Congress in corruption charges to establish their own rule. However, later investigations revealed no wrongdoing and no convictions. This was a major political conspiracy against Congress,” Desai said.
He questioned the BJP government in Tripura over rising unemployment, malnutrition among children, and the open sale of drugs across the state.
The Congress leader claimed that development projects in Tripura are only sanctioned after paying a 10 percent commission to ruling party leaders, resulting in the siphoning of crores of public funds.
“Just like the East India Company looted India during British rule, now the so-called ‘West India Company,’ controlled by Ambani, Adani, Amit Shah, and Narendra Modi, is looting the country. Only the faces have changed, but the looting continues,” Desai asserted.
Later in the same day, several tribal voters from various political parties joined the Congress in the presence of the party president, expressing their faith in the party’s vision and leadership.
The rally was also attended by Tripura PCC president Asish Kumar Saha and senior Congress MLAs, including Birajit Sinha, Gopal Roy and Sudip Roy Barman who echoed similar sentiments while addressing the gathering.
