The Hindu : New Delhi News : Black money issue is BJP’s election stunt: Manmohan

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Monday, May 04, 2009
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New Delhi

Black money issue is BJP’s election stunt: Manmohan

Parul Sharma

— Photo: R.V. Moorthy

TOP CAMPAIGNERS: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit with Congress Lok Sabha candidates (from left) Sandeep Dikshit (East Delhi) Mahabal Mishra (West Delhi) and Ajay Maken (New Delhi) during a campaign in the Capital on Sunday.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday asserted that only the Congress had the experience and the ability to deal with the security concerns facing the country arising out of the instability in India’s immediate neighbourhood.

“There has been a decline in the peace and stability in our neighbouring countries, be it Nepal, Pakistan or Sri Lanka. This could also impact our country’s security. I think only a national party like the Congress has the experience and ability to confront such issues,” Dr. Singh said, addressing his first public meeting ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the capital on May 7.

“We have also asked the Pakistan government to address the issue of the extortion of ‘jazia’ from our Sikh brothers in some parts of that country,” the Prime Minister said at Samta Dham Maidan in Hari Nagar here.

The Prime Minister dismissed the issue of black money stashed away in foreign banks, often raked up by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Prime Ministerial candidate L.K. Advani, as an “election stunt.”

“The BJP either does not understand economic issues or is deliberately misleading the people. Its allegations that the UPA government was not making any attempts to get that money back are false. Whatever was important in this case has been done. We have also discussed the matter with the governments of other countries. This issue was also discussed at the G-20 Summit recently held in London.”

Describing terrorism as one of the biggest problems in the country, Dr. Singh once again referred to the Kandahar episode.

“The BJP claims that it can deal with terrorism in a strong and decisive manner. However, the BJP’s track record during the NDA government shows something else. It released three dreaded terrorists in Afghanistan. Mr. Advani was the Home Minister when the terrorists attacked Parliament, the Red Fort, the Raghunath Temple and the Akshardham Temple and the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. You have to decide how strong such a leader can be,” the Prime Minister said.

Dr. Singh said the UPA government was improving the security and intelligence agencies, and strengthening the coastal security of the country to make it safe.

“Terrorism can be fought with better coordination between the different States of the country and mobilising the world community.”

The Prime Minister listed the achievements of the Congress governments at the Centre and the State.

Dr. Singh said the Congress was the only party that could take care of the economically and socially backward sections of society.

Apart from Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, the five Congress candidates contesting from Delhi -- Ajay Maken, Krishna Tirath, Mahabal Mishra, Sandeep Dikshit and Ramesh Kumar -- shared the dais with the Prime Minister.

Two other candidates Kapil Sibal and J.P. Aggarwal did not attend the meeting as they were undertaking “padayatras” in their constituencies.

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