The Hindu : NDA Govt.'s achievement, a litany of scams: Sorake

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Udupi

NDA Govt.'s achievement, a litany of scams: Sorake

By Our Staff Correspondent

UDUPI, FEB. 16. Vinaykumar Sorake, member of the dissolved Lok Sabha, has said that the only achievement of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led-National Democratic Alliance Government in the past five years is a litany of scams. He was speaking on Sunday after inaugurating the Kalmady, Sasithota, and Baputhota Youth Congress committees at Malpe near here.

Mr. Sorake said the Tehelka episode, the UTI scam, and the HUDCO scam had "exposed" the BJP.

He noted that the BJP had accused the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, of receiving kickbacks in the Bofors arms purchase. Three commissions of inquiry had been set up to probe the scam. But the Delhi High Court had now exonerated Rajiv Gandhi.

On coming to power, the BJP had promised to create one crore jobs a year, he said. But instead, unemployment was on the increase. Though there was no dearth of foodgrains, many starvation deaths had been reported, he added.

Mr. Sorake said that with the nearing of elections, the BJP, which had kept the Ramjanmabhumi issue on the backburner till recently, was now raising it to draw political mileage.

On the other hand, the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, had given good governance in the State in the past four-and-a-half years. The State Government had given diesel subsidy worth Rs. 16 crore in the past four years for mechanised boats. It had approved the construction of a mini-commercial port at Malpe, and submitted a Rs. 138-crore proposal to construct permanent sea walls to check sea erosion. The Government had also sought simplification of the Coastal Regulatory Zone norms, he said.

Presiding over the function, U.R. Sabhapathy, MLA, accused the BJP of trying to vitiate communal harmony in the country by raking up the Ayodhya issue. The NDA Government's achievements could not match those of the Congress Government.

He recalled that the BJP had opposed the nationalisation of banks and "loan melas" instituted by the then Union Deputy Minister for Finance, B. Janardhan Poojary. But now, the party was encouraging privatisation.

He said it was the State Government which had implemented the Rs. 128-crore Asian Development Bank project for infrastructure development in Udupi city. But the BJP-ruled Udupi City Municipal Council was wrongly claiming credit for it.

It was the State Government and the State Police which had unravelled the fake stamp paper scam, the MLA noted.

M.A. Gafoor, President of the District Congress Committee, A. Hareesh Kini, President of the Udupi Block Youth Congress, and Keshav Kotian, Jaisri Krishnaraj, and other Congress leaders were present.

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NDA Govt.'s achievement, a litany of scams: Sorake