Citing price rise,BJP says a year of disappointment

Terming the UPA-IIs first year as the year of disappointment,the BJP on Monday targeted the government on seven different fronts...

Terming the UPA-IIs first year as the year of disappointment,the BJP on Monday targeted the government on seven different fronts ranging from price rise to spurt in Maoist violence and corruption to ministerial incoherence. And in all of these and other pressing questions,it said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was evasive and unconvincing.

From being in a state of disarray a year ago,there was a sense of enthusiasm in the BJP camp. It observed a black day on Monday,hit the streets highlighting the failures of the UPA government and launched a frontal attack on the Prime Minister. When no answer is given,the country is entitled to presume that no answers could have been given, BJP leader Arun Jaitley quipped referring to the PMs media interaction.

The main opposition party zeroed in on price rise,abandonment of independent foreign policy,increase in Maoist violence,corruption,soft approach towards terrorism,indiscipline of ministers and misuse of institutions like the CBI to take on the government and indicated that these same issues would form the centre of its attack in the days to come.

Story continues below this ad

It was not anticipated that the first year in office,which is generally a year of enthusiasm,should so rapidly become a year of disappointment. It is precisely because of these reasons that the Prime Minister decided not to answer questions but to deflect them at the media interaction. The Prime Minister decided to talk but not to speak, said Jaitley,Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

His Lok Sabha counterpart Sushma Swaraj said the Prime Ministers answer to the corruption charges levelled against Telecom Minister A Raja was unconvincing.

Both Jaitley and Swaraj were present at a rally organised by the party here to highlight the failures of the government.

Worst failure,says Left

New Delhi: Left parties on Monday said the first year of UPA-II was one of worst failure and disappointment as PM Manmohan Singh has not been able to give any specific solution to problems faced by the common man. CPM Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said the PMs conference was all declaration of intent and there was nothing really very specific about issues agitating the people. CPI national secretary D Raja said the first year of UPA-II was worst failure and disappointment. pti