BJP-ruled states accuse govt of bias
‘Our states are suffering due to wrong economic policies’
The Congress-led Centre on Saturday came under attack from chief ministers of states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as they accused it of adopting step-motherly treatment to them in the disbursement of funds and discrimination in the implementation of welfare and development schemes.
The chief ministers blamed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for the delays in decision making and failing to coordinate with the states. They suggested it was essential for the Centre to take steps to design schemes keeping the local factors in mind and also remove unnecessary duplication of schemes.
Accusing the Centre of bias, they alleged that their states were suffering due to the wrong economic policies of the Union government.
Some of the chief ministers listed discrimination against them in the implementation of power projects, foodgrain supplies, implementation of Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewable Mission and expenditure on deployment of paramilitary forces.One of the chief ministers charged that the Centre had failed to control the growing budget deficit, check inflation and devaluation of the rupee, improve the investment climate, remove obstacles in economic reforms and bring about fiscal transparency.
Chief Ministers Narendra Modi, Raman Singh, Jagdish Shettar, Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Prem Kumar Dhumal, besides Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and Punjab’s senior-most BJP minister Chunni Lal attended the conclave.
Inaugurating the two-day meet, called to discuss “impact of economic slowdown,” BJP president Nitin Gadkari attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for making an excuse of “lack of political consensus” for “governance deficit” of his government and claimed that the NDA-ruled states were at the forefront of economic development.
“All the time the prime minister makes excuses of lack of political consensus for no development,” he said. The state governments maintained financial discipline and management “but our economist prime minister has not been able to do the same for our country. In the case of handling the unemployment issue states ruled by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are performing better than UPA-ruled states. The NDA-ruled states are performing better when it comes to the number of children studying in schools and the expenditure incurred on education.”Noting that the UPA has “no leader, no answerable person,” the BJP chief said. “The rating agencies from all over the world have downgraded the credibility of the country due to this government’s economic policies. Not only in our country, but all over the world the UPA government has lost its credibility.”
