We want early polls: Rajnath

 BJP national president Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that his party did not believe in toppling any government but he fervently hoped that, in “the interest of the nation, the UPA comes down quickly so that polls could be held soon.”

After a whistle-stop tour of the drought-stricken areas of Maharashtra, the BJP leader in a hastily called press meet, said that no political party should try to destabilise any government in power as it affects the national exchequer heavily.

“However, the economic crisis that has engulfed the nation is because of the distorted economic policies of the Congress-led UPA government. The grim scenario existing today is because of the lack of will and vision. I had proposed farm income insurance scheme but it has never been given serious cognisance. The government, both in the state and at the Centre, lacks sensitivity towards people and agrarian sector.”

While refraining from commenting on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s influence on the recent formation of the new BJP core team, Singh said: “Let me make it clear that not even once...earlier or this time, Modi asked me or tried to influence me in the induction process. If I am telling a lie then Modi himself will start harbouring doubts about my statements as he will know that his party president is speaking untruth.”

To a query why Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was kept out of the party's Parliamentary Board, Singh quipped: “Chouhan has been doing excellent work but then there was only one vacancy and we had to choose one of them and we chose Modi as he is the senior-most chief minister.”

On the induction of former Gujarat home minister Amit Shah, facing murder charge, Singh said: “Nobody should be judged till the court decides and gives it decision...and as for former finance minister Yashwant Sinha not finding a place, let me clarify that he was not a member of any board. He was a member of the National Executive and newspaper reports stating that Sinha was dropped is wrong and baseless.”