The Hindu : Front Page : UPA will retain power, says PM

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

UPA will retain power, says PM

Sarabjit Pandher

- Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

SITTING PRETTY: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi at an election rally in Punjab on Monday.

LUDHIANA: Wrapping up his campaign for the next Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday expressed complete confidence that while the UPA would retain power, the least that the Congress would do was emerge as the “single largest” party.

Addressing a press conference after public rallies at Amritsar and Khadoor Sahib, Dr. Singh said that despite an attempt to put up a show of unity at its rally here on Sunday, the NDA was disintegrating as its major constituents like the Telugu Desam Party and the Biju Janata Dal were no longer in its camp.

On the issue of the prime ministerial candidate, Dr. Singh said the Congress had announced its decision and there was no wavering on the matter. While rejecting that the Congress would accept any conditional support, he said that while unity had eluded the Third Front as well, it was the duty of all secular parties to provide a purposeful government to the country.

“However, the entire picture would be clear before you on May 16, till then all is speculation,” he said.

Responding to queries, Dr. Singh said the people had heard the tone and tenure of the NDA leaders, especially Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, and “they can well judge the nature and direction of the government if such people are voted to power.”

Dr. Singh denied the allegation of discrimination as well as withdrawal of relief funds for the Kosi flood victims as was made out by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He said the Centre had sought the return of the unutilised funds, for which the State government was at fault as some grants had lapsed.

He went on to claim that because of the UPA government’s policies, Punjab farmers had gained Rs. 20,000 crore in the last five years, which ‘negated’ the charges of bias against it levelled by the Akali-BJP regime.

“Nitish Kumar professes to be a secular leader. But when he shook hands with Modi, a doubt arose in my mind,” Dr. Singh said, denying that the Congress had played the communal card in Punjab.

“I am against the use of religion in politics; also, I have not authorised anybody to seek votes by projecting me as Sikh. I am an Indian first and as a Prime Minister, I belonged to the entire country, not to a particular section.”

Dr. Singh said the November 1984 anti-Sikh carnage was an unfortunate blot, but it was not desirable to keep an issue alive for so long.

He said the Congress stood by the Rajiv-Longowal accord, but refused to comment on the inter-State river waters linking issue as the dispute between Punjab and Haryana was sub judice.

On the issue of Afzal Guru’s execution, the Prime Minister stressed that the set procedures had to be completed as per the law of the land. However, he reiterated the resolve of the UPA to firmly deal with the menace of terrorism without targeting any particular community.

Dr. Singh said that despite a global slowdown, the Indian economy grew at 8.6 per cent compared to the NDA’s 5.8 per cent.

While he reiterated that India would not interfere in Nepal’s internal matters, Dr. Singh said the Union Government had expressed its concern over the safety of the Sikhs in the Frontier province in Pakistan where the Taliban had imposed ‘jaziya.’ He also said efforts were on to solve the turban controversy in France.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page