Narottam Mishra's statement on Pakistan an attempt to cover up BJP's sins: Congress

Indore: Congress leader Jitu Patwari on Friday alleged that Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra's remark that there will be celebrations in Pakistan if any party other than the BJP wins the state election was an attempt to cover up the saffron party's "sins".

Polling is underway on Friday to elect 230 members of the Madhya Pradesh assembly.

In a statement made this morning, Mishra asked voters to press the lotus flower (BJP's election symbol) button on the electronic voting machines considering "national interest" as paramount. He said if any party other than the BJP wins the election, there will be celebrations in Pakistan.

Talking to PTI, Patwari said Mishra's statement is an attempt to cover up the BJP's sins.

"When ordinary citizens become unemployed and die due to COVID-19 because of lack of treatment, then people who talk about Hindu-Muslim and India-Pakistan do not even feel ashamed," he said.

Patwari, who represents the Rau assembly constituency and a Congress candidate from the seat, is also the co-chairman of the Congress' campaign committee for the state assembly elections.

He said that in this election, people voted against "corruption, unemployment and inflation" that took place under the BJP rule, and claimed that the Congress would return to power by winning more than 155 seats out of the 230 in the state.

Patwari claimed that BJP leaders who wanted to malign Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar's image and weaken his claim for the chief minister's post in the state were behind the purported video of his (Tomar's) son being circulated on social media.

"The ruling BJP is running away from the demand for an inquiry into the videos and the Congress would get them examined if it wins the assembly polls," he said.

In a series of purported videos, the Congress has alleged that Tomar's son is discussing financial transactions worth crores of rupees with a person.