Manmohan slams BJP over politics of hatred

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of pursuing politics of hatred by dividing people along communal lines for electoral gains.

“BJP’s single point agenda is to create a rift in society, and such divisive forces should be defeated. This election gains particular significance since the country’s progress and development would depend on the government elected to rule the nation,” the prime minister said addressing a public meeting in Bhongir near Hyderabad.

Manmohan Singh said that insofar as the BP is concerned, the entire election this time around revolves around one person, and this is a dangerous trend. “He has been making tall promises, which he will not be able to fulfill because they are impractical,” he said, and asked the people whether they wanted a government which would take along all sections of society on the path of development and progress or a party which wanted to divide the people on communal lines.

Stating that the country had changed tremendously in the past 10 years, he said no other decade had seen such all round development and economic growth.

Training his guns on the opposition over allegations of lack of commitment and effort to check corruption, the prime minister said: “No other government has done so much as the UPA government to curb the menace of corruption. On the other hand, it is the BJP which doesn’t seem to have the commitment since it has been stalling the Lok Pal bill in Parliament,” he said.

Congratulating the people of Telangana on achieving their long-cherished dream of separate statehood for Telangana, Manmohan Singh said: “The Congress has kept its promise of forming a separate Telangana state. We faced a lot of difficulties and resistance from various quarters to the move, but we remained steadfast in our commitment. It is only because of the efforts of Sonia Gandhi and the Congress that Telangana has become a reality.”

“I assure the people of Telangana that their struggle and sacrifices for the cause will not go in vain. We will work together to ensure that Telangana develops and occupies a prominent position in the country,” he said, adding that it was a historic election for the region, and it was the responsibility of the people to elect competent and committed governments both at the state and the centre.

The prime minister, stating that the Congress was keen on the development of both Telangana and the residuary Seemandhra state, said some small parties were now trying to stake claim for creation of the new state. “They claim that only they can ensure development of Telangana, but it is actually the Congress, which has a rich experience of governance and development, that is capable of putting the state in a prominent position through all round development involving all sections of society,” he said. — news@khaleejtimes.com

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