Congress using diversionary tactic to cover up corruption: BJP

NEW DELHI: Hitting back at Congress on its demand for Arun Jaitley's resignation over DDCA's "financial irregularities", BJP said it was using diversionary tactic to "cover up" its corruption and accused it of forming an alliance of like-minded parties to "protect" the corrupt.

BJP also rejected the charge of vendetta politics against the government, this time over ED searches on P Chidambaram's son's office, saying probe agencies are pursing cases registered when UPA was in power and no new case was lodged under the Modi dispensation.

After Congress demanded that the Finance minister quit and cited the escalation of cost at Freozshah Kotla stadium to Rs 114 crore from initial Rs 24 crore as a case of gross financial irregularity, BJP said the work was carried out by a PSU and its scope had expanded massively from the early plans.

Jaitley headed the DDCA between 1999 to 2013.

"These are simply diversionary tactics of Congress to cover up corruption cases facing its leaders. It is a baseless charge. Congress has formed an alliance of like-minded parties to protect the corrupt," BJP secretary Shrikant Sharma said, recalling how the cost of renovation of Nehru stadium during Commonwealth Games had shot to Rs 900 crore from Rs 100 crore.

As Chidambaram hit out at the government for "harassing" his son Karti after ED searched his office, BJP said these were old cases and probe agencies were doing their work as per law.

Sharma said whether it was the 2G case, National Herald issue the corruption cases against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, probe agencies had taken us these matter for investigation before it came to power.

Congress is using the allegation of vendetta politics as a shield against its leaders facing corruption charges and the only difference between its government and the current one is that the investigation agencies are now free to probe cases, Sharma said.

"These all cases cropped up during the Congress time and agencies started their probe when we were not in power. Earlier, they would act under pressure but now they are free to act. BJP government has not lodged any new case," he said.