The Bharatiya Janata Party created “ease of doing corruption”, not ease of doing business, in its 22-year rule in Gujarat, Congress leader Sachin Pilot said on Wednesday, The Indian Express reported.

The BJP government is “patting its back about improving ease of doing business”, but it has “promoted contracts and the business interests of a select few while ruling at the village, block, taluka, district and state levels”, the Rajasthan Congress president said.

Pilot made the statement in Rajkot, where he is campaigning for his party ahead of the Assembly elections in Gujarat.

Advertisement

He said the Congress cannot be accused of playing caste-based politics because the party was only giving leaders of “unsatisfied” communities a platform. He was referring to the BJP alleging that the Congress was instigating the Patidar community to demand quotas in jobs and education.

“Gujarat is lagging behind on every parameter, whether it is unemployment, issues of farmers, or economical slowdown,” he said. “Our party is giving a platform for their leaders and making an honest effort to see how to meet their demands.”

Pilot critised the “half-cooked” demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax measures and said the Centre “did not see was how the note ban affected people”.

Over the past two months, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has been campaigning in several districts of Gujarat, criticising the government over the new tax system, demonetisation, unemployment and development.