The Hindu : Karnataka News : UPA's performance pathetic, says Venkaiah Naidu

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 30, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

UPA's performance pathetic, says Venkaiah Naidu

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, AUG. 29. As the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government completed 100 days in office today, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has issued a report card on the UPA's performance, terming it pathetic.

"Stop confrontation, start governance," the BJP president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, declared as he announced a week-long "satyagraha" in the State from September 1 in which party leaders, including the former Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, and the former Union Ministers, Murli Manohar Joshi, and Sushma Swaraj, would arrive here from different places and court arrest. A rally to be addressed by the former Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, would be held here on September 8.

Insult

The "insult to the national flag by withdrawing its earlier move to withdraw all cases against the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Uma Bharti, when her only crime was to defend the citizens' right to hoist the tricolour at a public place on August 15 and January 26" would be the theme of the "satyagraha." The "pathetic performance" of the UPA Government would also be highlighted.

Addressing presspersons after two meetings with the party leaders, legislators and office-bearers in the State, Mr. Naidu said while 100 days were too short to judge the performance of any government, the UPA had proved that it was ample to undo many "good" things done by the National Democratic Alliance Government, betray the hopes of the people, and create disillusion among voters with its double standards on the issue of "tainted Ministers."

In fact, the Government's confrontationist attitude towards the Opposition reached a high-point in August with three "shocking" instances — "insult to Veer Savarkar" by ordering the removal of a plaque at the Cellular Jail in the Andamans, "insulting the national flag" by plotting the imprisonment of Ms. Uma Bharti through a "false and politically motivated" case in Hubli, and the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh's "refusal to accept a memorandum" from the Opposition leaders.

Accept demands

Mr. Naidu said the best way in which the UPA Government could improve its performance was to concede the three demands of the BJP — to withdraw false cases against Ms. Bharti, make amends for the insult heaped on Veer Savarkar and sack the tainted Ministers who were still in office. "Confrontation with the Opposition" and "collision within the ruling coalition" were how he chose to describe the relations that the Congress had decided to have.

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