Three to the power nine

Leaders of the ruling BJP in Chhattisgarh said they will never forget the three years of Congress rule, but there was nothing particularly touching about this long memory. During a debate in the Legislative Assembly, BJP legislators compared their party’s stint with Congress rule, which started when the state came into being in December 2000. They fumed that the Congress government led by Ajit Jogi ignored opposition legislators and did not ever invite them to any official programme. At this, a Senior Congress legislator, Dharamjit Singh, asked how long the BJP leaders were going to compare themselves with the Congress, which ruled for three years whereas the BJP has ruled the state for the past nine years. “How can we forget the Congress’ three years rule,” quipped Panchayat Minister Ramvichar Netam. It is because of those three years, he added, that the BJP has ruled the state for the past nine years.