MP: Congress to hold statewide protest against centre on Nov 4, says Shobha Oza

Congress leader Shobha Oza on Sunday said that Congress will hold a statewide demonstration against the central government on November 4 for its alleged step-motherly treatment of the state with regards to providing relief to flood-affected people in Madhya Pradesh.

"There will be a statewide demonstration against the centre for its step-motherly treatment of Madhya Pradesh. 284 blocks of 39 out of the 52 districts in the state were affected by excessive rainfall and floods that came recently. The maximum damages were incurred by the state's farmers. Crops worth Rs 16,270 crore were damaged in the state. The state government demanded Rs 6,621 crore for relief works. But the centre is yet to act on that demand," Oza told reporters at a press conference here.

"The BJP is a liar party. Bihar and Karnataka also faced floods. They were granted the relief amount immediately. But in Madhya Pradesh, the centre is yet to grant relief. There are 28 parliamentarians, 5 central ministers and 108 MLAs of BJP in Madhya Pradesh. They should act to get the relief amount from the centre rather than engaging in theatrics," she added.

Speaking on the termination of Legislative Assembly membership of BJP legislator Prahlad Lodhi as he got sentenced for two years, Oza said: "Congress will win in the by-polls to the Pawai seat as well like it did in Jhabua."

Oza said that BJP has been rejected by the people in Maharashtra but refrained from commenting on the possibility of a Congress-Shiv Sena alliance in that state, saying that it is within the rights of Interim President Sonia Gandhi to decide on this matter.