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It’s nit-picking: Congress

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday dismissed as “nit-picking” the suggestions that the government decision to extend the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act to all districts of the country was taken “before” party MP Rahul Gandhi approached Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the subject on Wednesday.

“How does it matter? The important thing is that the decision has been taken. Congress president Sonia Gandhi played a decisive role and the Congress and the government took it forward. Mr. Gandhi has given it momentum. When there is new energy then good work is done — it is a collective work,” Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said.

The announcement fuelled speculations that the party was in an election mode. To this, Mr. Singhvi said: “Good times, good deeds and good things do not require a mode.”

Reacting to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s suggestion that Mr. Gandhi was a “super prime minister,” he said it was a case of “sour grapes” for the saffron party. “They are jealous of the unique initiative of the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance.”

He said the Rahul Gandhi-led party delegation told Dr. Singh that the scheme should be all inclusive and quality assets created.

The party had introduced the scheme largely in non-Congress States without discrimination. “If it did not do well in some parts, then it is the non-Congress States where it did not do well. There have been complaints but the implementation is improving.”

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