Congress, BJP in slugfest after photo surfaces

BHOPAL: War of words intensified between the Congress and the ruling BJP in the state after a photo surfaced on Thursday showing state BJP president Prabhat Jha with Shaqib alias 'Danger', a local bully, who has now been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged role in the murder of RTI activist Shehla Masood.
While Jha, a Rajya Sabha member, denied knowing the alleged criminal, leader of the opposition Ajay Singh demanded his resignation on moral grounds saying he considered it as a proof of ruling BJP's ties with criminals.
Referring to the pictures, dated June 11, 2011 and surfaced after the CBI claimed to have cracked the RTI activist's murder case and named Shaqib as an accused, Jha said "Many people try to get photographed with those in public life. Does it mean that those in public life know each one of them? Is it practically possible to run a background check on each and every one who poses for a photograph?" He said the Congress was trying to politicize the issue for narrow political gains.
In a statement, Ajay Singh alleged that the ruling party leaders were patronizing criminals at all levels, leading to a rise in crime and deteriorating law and order situation in the state. He said the morale of such elements have become so high that a group of people, close to the ruling party, had stormed a police station and bashed up policemen in the state capital. Instead of slapping cases against those who raided the police station, the government ordered suspension of 10 policemen, including officials, he alleged.
The CBI had arrested an interior designer Zaheda Parvez and Shaqib alias Danger in connection with the murder of RTI activist on Tuesday. Shaqib, against whom at least two dozen criminal cases have been registered at different police stations in Bhopal, had faced externment from Bhopal for a year in November last year.