BJP picks holes in UPA Report Card

Rebuts criticism of NDA government by Sonia Gandhi

• Compares its performance to that of Vajpayee government
• Vajpayee left behind a booming economy; UPA messed it up
• Current Account was positive; now it is deficit
• GDP which was 8.4% is now at 3.77%
• As against 6 cr jobs in 1999-2004, UPA generated 24 lakh
• BJP not opposed Food Security Bill; it only wants some changes

New Delhi: The BJP on Thursday hit back at the Congress-led UPA Government. Picking holes in the UPA Report Card, the BJP asserted that the Vajpayee Government had left behind a booming economy, which was messed up by the Congress. A BJP Spokesman Sudhanshu Trivedi said, "Any report card has three facets to it. One is figures, the other is facts and finally the comments. On all three counts, it can be faulted."

Sudhanshu Trivedi disputed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's claim in his speech at the UPA Report Card release, saying, "To our critics I would only say that in many of these areas since the glass was empty when we started, it take some time before it is really full. The important point is that it is filling." Sudhanshu Trivedi claimed that this was factually wrong.

When the Vajpayee Government demitted office, the GDP rate was 8.4 per cent and inflation had come down to as low as 3.77 per cent. Now, the GDP has come down to 5 per cent. A Challenging the claim of economic turnaround, he said fiscal deficit stands now at 5.9 per cent, which is of the level of 1991.

According to the Planning Commission and National Sample Survey Organisation figures, from 1999-2004 six crore jobs were generated, while under the UPA regime, the figure is 27 lakh. During the Vajpayee Government, it was current account surplus, while now it is current account deficit.

"All this shows that far from being empty, the glass was brimming full. What Prime Minister Manmohan Singh now finds half-full is the remnants of the good done during the Vajpayee Government," Sudhanshu Trivedi said.

On facts, he said the NDA Governments in the States made the largest contribution even to the 5 per cent GDP at the national level, as most of the NDA State Governments achieved 10 per cent GDP. Even to the foodgrains national buffer stock, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab made the largest contribution.

Contesting the claim of Congress President Sonia Gandhi that the Land Acquisition Bill and Food Security Bill were stalled because f the BJP, he reminded the Congress that it managed to push through the Indo-US Nuclear Deal and FDI in multi-brand retail despite the BJP opposition.

Why then is the Congress blaming the BJP for not passing Food Security Bill, he asked. He reiterated that party stand that with some amendments, the BJP is for passing the Food Security Bill. That the Congress feels there is need to provide food security cover to thirds of the population after 56 years of its rule is a sad commentary on it, he remarked. As far as food security is concerned, he said the Chhattisgarh Government has already implemented it.

On comment, he said the recent observations of the Supreme Court on the CBI status report on the investigations into the coalgate constituted the best comment on the UPA Report Card. A He criticised the Congress for asking Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to step down after the CAG indictment, he said the BJP will launch an indefinite stir till she resigns.

Venkat Parsa