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Third Front a headless group: Modi

BHUBANESWAR: Gujarat Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata party leader Narendra Modi on Sunday criticised both the United Progressive Alliance and the Third Front and appealed to the people to vote for his party to ensure security and development in the country.

Mr. Modi, who was unable to address an election meeting in the communal violence-hit Kandhamal district of the State, said the Congress-led UPA government had failed to tackle terrorism. He also blamed the UPA government for repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

He was addressing an election meeting in the city, ending his daylong campaign tour of the State. He could not reach Kandhamal because of a technical snag in the helicopter in which he was to go there.

He also termed Manmohan Singh a weak Prime Minister and said the country was in need of a strong leader. He also took a voice vote from the crowd whether there should be an open debate between Dr. Singh and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani. After the people replied in the affirmative, Mr. Modi went on to say that the debate should be telecast live on television.

Mr. Modi also attacked the UPA government for its failure to control price rise that was badly affecting the poor across the country. The UPA was hardly aware of the problems facing the poor, he observed. He also said the UPA had lost its strength after Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan left it. Sharad Pawar had also started searching of a new political combination, he added.

Mr. Modi, who appeared to be at his eloquent best, described the Third Front as a headless group comprising opportunist parties. The leader of the Third Front was changing by the day, he said. Mr. Modi also came down heavily on Orissa Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik for snapping ties with the BJP.

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