The Hindu : Other States / Jharkand News : For BJP, Congress lack of development is main poll plank

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Friday, Feb 11, 2005

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For BJP, Congress lack of development is main poll plank

RANCHI, FEB. 10. With two more phases of polling left in Jharkhand, the BJP and Congress are making every bid to garner public support by making development their major poll plank and trading charges over neglecting the issue.

While both the parties agree that the State has remained underdeveloped, they are blaming each other for the malaise.

The first phase of polls concluded on February 3. The second and third phase are slated for February 15 and 23 respectively.

While the BJP president, L. K. Advani, held the Congress and the RJD regime responsible for neglecting the region for five decades when it was part of Bihar, senior Congress leaders Digvijay Singh, Ajit Jogi and Subodh Kant Sahai accused the NDA government of failing to meet the aspiration of the people during its four-year rule in the State.

``The deteriorating situation in the new State owing to the Naxalite menace was because of NDA's faulty policies and uninspiring governance,'' said Mr. Sahai.

Countering this argument, Mr. Advani said the sudden revocation of POTA triggered a ``spurt'' of Naxalite incidents in the affected States.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh blamed the NDA government for ``failing'' to accelerate the pace of development in areas like employment, irrigation, electricity, education and better civic amenities.

The BJP, which is contesting 63 seats in alliance with the JD-U (18), said the NDA government in the State started development work from scratch and needed another mandate to, what senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu affirmed, correct the ``wrongs'' of the Congress and the RJD governments. On the other hand, the Congress, contesting in 41 seats in alliance with the JMM (48), alleged the BJP was shifting the blame on the previous regimes to cover up its incompetence during its rule.

``In four years there should have been some thing to show, but the NDA government has ruined the industrial sector, unable to accelerate literacy, could not prevent starvation deaths nor improve irrigation facilities. These are the basic things for which four years are enough,'' Mr. Sahai, a member of Union cabinet, said during a recent press briefing.

Congress ally JMM, which is yet to taste power, has been urging the people to give it a chance.

``We have struggled for a separate statehood, and we should be given a chance to fullfil your aspirations,'' party chief and union Coal Minister Sibu Soren has been harping during his poll campaigns.

But former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi counters this by saying ``the party has no wherewithal to rule the state...A person who can ditch an honest leader like Stephen Marandi to appease his son can also do the same with the people of Jharkhand.''

Mr. Soren suffered a setback following Mr. Marandi's rebellion after the JMM chief ignored the latter's claim for party ticket to contest from the Dumka seat. He fielded his son Hemant instead.

Meanwhile, the BJP launched an all-out attack against Mr. Digvijay Singh with its national Vice-President Mr. Marandi ridiculing the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minsiter's development mantra for Jharkhand.

``Mr. Singh himself was overthrown by the people for failing to meet the aspirations and expectations of the Madhya Pradesh people,'' Mr. Marandi said.

Senior Congress leader and Union Heavy Industries Minister, Santosh Mohan Dev, also pitched in promising to revive the ailing public sector in the State as mentioned in the Congress manifesto.

``Ever since the UPA government took charge at the Centre, it has been trying its best to revive the Heavy Industries Corporation. The government has set up a reconstruction committee which is going into all the aspects of revival of the ailing PSUs,'' Mr. Dev said. --PTI

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For BJP, Congress lack of development is main poll plank