Roads, power, water no issues in MP election: Jaitley

Roads, power and water are no longer poll issues in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh this time unlike in 2003, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said here on Sunday.

He was addressing a 'Prabuddhjan Sammelan' (intellectuals' meet) organised by the BJP, which was attended by doctors, lawyers, businessmen and other professionals.

"Sadak, bijli, pani (roads, power, water) are no more issues in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls scheduled on November 28," Jaitley said.

"The Assembly elections of 2003 (when the Congress was in power) were fought on three issues, roads, power and water. The condition of roads was very poor then and I was advised by partymen to travel from one district to another by helicopter or train and not by road," he said.

The Union minister said that in fifteen years, the BJP government in the state had improved the quality of roads and strengthened road connectivity, power and water supply.

In the agriculture sector, Madhya Pradesh had replaced Punjab and become the "foodgrain bowl" of the country, he said.

The state, under the BJP rule, has shed its "Bimaru" (backward, laggard) tag and become "aspirational", Jaitley said.

He also claimed there was no social or economic discontent in the country. "Had there been discontent, opposition parties would have launched a movement against the government," he said.