The Hindu : Voters' list: Uma Bharti criticises Digvijay Singh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 30, 2003

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National

Voters' list: Uma Bharti criticises Digvijay Singh

By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL MARCH 29. The former Union Minister and BJP's "star campaigner'' for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, Uma Bharti, today launched a frontal attack on the Chief Minister, Digvijay Singh, alleging that he was obviously trying to defend the District Collectors linked with the voters' list `scam' as they had obeyed his command that eventually led to massive `irregularities' in the preparation of electoral rolls.

Talking to newspersons at her residence here this afternoon, Ms. Bharti alleged that the Chief Minister was perhaps afraid of evidence available with some Collectors that could be used against him if the issue precipitates.

Ms. Bharti refused to be drawn into a debate on whether or not action could be taken against the Collectors concerned without handing them a charge-sheet or whether it was mandatory for the Election Commission to issue a charge-sheet before the State Government could take action against them, as pointed out by the Chief Minister.

She said the developments so far only indicated that the State Government was bent upon defending the guilty officers.

On the vexed issue of Dhar's Bhojshala, Ms. Bharti said the Chief Minister was unnecessarily trying to complicate matters on the plea that the demand for lifting restrictions on entry to the monument would lead to a law and order problem.

The Digvijay Singh Government was following a strategy by continuously repeating that an order was needed from the Centre to lift the restrictions. The issue was being used by the Government to criticise the BJP workers, she said.

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