The Hindu : Nation's economy in a mess, says Congress

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 23, 2003

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Nation's economy in a mess, says Congress

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI JUNE 22. The country was under the grip of large-scale unemployment and poverty due to directionless economic policies of the BJP-led Union Government, the senior Congress leader and in-charge of Delhi, Ahmed Patel, said here today.

Addressing a Block level convention of Congress workers at Sultanpuri in North West Delhi, Mr. Patel said the economy of the country was in dire straits today mainly because of the mad rush for privatisation by the BJP-led Union Government and its policies of foreign capital investment.

Stating that all sections of the society was totally annoyed and anguished with the anti-national and anti-people policies of the Centre, Mr. Patel asked the party workers to launch a mass campaign to expose the BJP-led Government and appraise the voters about the consequences if the party came to power in Delhi after the forthcoming Assembly elections due in November.

Reiterating the stand that his party would seek the mandate during the Assembly polls on the basis of all-round development of the Capital during four-and-half years rule of the Sheila Dikshit Government, the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee(DPCC) president, Choudhary Prem Singh alleged that none of the seven BJP members of Parliament had ever raised people's issues in the assembly. ``Had they been genuinely concerned about the well-being of the people, they would have taken up the matters concerning Delhi with the Union Government be it regularisation of unauthorised colonies or relocation of slum clusters,'' he claimed.

"As per their political strategy, BJP leaders are persuading the Delhi Development Authority to root out poor slum dwellers just before the election,'' he alleged.

The All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary, Jaikishan, criticised the recent statements of the Union Defence Minister, George Fernandes, and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalitha, for raising baseless and meaningless foreign origin issue of the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi. "By raising this issue, both leaders are trying to garner political support from the BJP. Ms. Gandhi is an Indian and perhaps better than the both,'' he said.

Mr. Jaikishan alleged it has been the habit of the BJP and its associate organisations to exploit the sentiments of people sometimes in the name of religion and sometimes in the name of caste and community.

AICC secretary, Anil Shastri; senior party leader of the Delhi unit, Jagdish Tytler; Delhi Mayor Ashok K. Jain; the Leader of House in Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Ram Babu Sharma and the Delhi Pradesh Youth Congress president, Rajesh Lilothia, also spoke on the occasion.

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Nation's economy in a mess, says Congress