The Hindu : National : Jaitley slams Congress ‘dishonesty’

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Jaitley slams Congress ‘dishonesty’

Rajesh Ahuja

Arun Jaitley

CHANDIGARH: Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Arun Jaitley on Sunday not only described Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the “weakest Prime Minister” but also challenged his claim that he (Dr. Singh) was unaware of the clean chit given to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler.

Addressing a workers’ convention here, Mr. Jaitley accused the Prime Minister of trying to fool the people and asserted that the Congress had indulged in “dishonesty and doublespeak” by giving ticket to Mr. Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, who were accused, by the Nanavati Commission of Inquiry, of leading and inciting violence in the 1984 riots. It was a matter of national shame that no one was punished for the shocking events of 1984 in which more than 3,000 people lost lives.

“Economy in bad shape”

Holding the Congress-led UPA regime responsible for the bad shape of the Indian economy, he said that when foreign investors were withdrawing from the Indian markets the government foolishly raised the interest rates and reduced money supply, which gave a severe shock to domestic economy.

He alleged that the UPA regime was not able to maintain the record of growth in economy because of the discord in the ruling alliance. National challenges on the economic and security front had become complicated because of a weak government.

BJP gets new members

Meanwhile, the BJP received a shot in the arm when four Congress leaders joined the party along with their supporters in the presence of Mr. Jaitley. They are Sushil Kumar Bansi, Arvind Pandey, Shripal Verma and Umesh Gupta.

Elections 2009 — Comprehensive coverage

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