NMP: Cong hits out at BJP, Maken says UP worst-hit

Lashing out the National Monetization Pipeline (NMP) scheme of the Centre, Congress said big states like UP would be the worst sufferer. The national highways, powerhouses, sports stadiums, airports and railway stations have been put up for sale in UP.

The national general secretary and in charge of Rajasthan, Ajay Maken, told media in Lucknow on Tuesday, recently the Centre announced plans to privatise public properties of 20 departments. Six of these departments have significant properties in UP. He said UP would be the worst-sufferer of NMP where 8 national highways, airports, railway station of Prayagraj, centre of Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Lucknow, entire network of BSNL and Bharat Fiber may be handed over to private hands. The government is hell-bent on handing over precious assets to its industrialist friend to such an extent the Varanasi airport has been valued at only `500 crore.

Raising fingers over NMP, Maken said the lands for these public establishments were acquired by the state governments and handed over to the Centre. However, the state governments were not taken into confidence before privatising the properties. He asked if the state government would get any share. The Congress general secretary said the party has formed a committee under the chairmanship of senior leader Digvijay Singh that will form a strategy to fight against NMP.

He said the Chhattisgarh (Congress) government has decided to take part in the bidding of these public properties and take it over. This would be done to save jobs and public money.