Date:30/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/30/stories/2008073057820400.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Manmohan Singh should go: BJP

Cash-for-votes scam, bomb blasts cited as reasons

— Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

Spirited protest: BJP supporters protesting against “cash-for-votes” scam, in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

HYDERABAD: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and fresh elections as the UPA government had lost the moral authority to rule the country in the wake of “cash-for-votes” scam and the bomb blasts in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.

At a press conference here, BJP national general secretary Vijay Goel condemned the UPA government for “completely abdicating” its responsibility towards governance and “emerging as a comprehensive failure on all fronts.” He said four years of “misrule” has created a pervading sense of total insecurity in the minds of people.

From an environment of rapid economic growth, low inflation rate and high public morale when the BJP-led NDA government demitted office, the UPA government has virtually undone all the good work. “Today, the country is gripped by a sense of insecurity on all fronts”, he stated. On the law and order front, terrorists were striking at will with greater frequency. “What is extremely disturbing is that when one carefully analyses the security situation of the country, one finds the blatant politicisation of national security and strategic interests for the sake of vote-bank politics”.

In the last three years, there were 10 major incidents in which 500 people were killed and about 1,000 injured.

Mr. Goel criticised the “so-called secular parties” for not condemning the recent blasts. He demanded a white paper on terrorist incidents detailing the number of people arrested and punished. He alleged that some political parties were protecting terrorists and their activities.

Regarding allegation of CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat that the money to buy MPs during the trust vote came from Andhra Pradesh Congress leaders, he said when a senior leader of CPI(M), which was partner of UPA, made these allegations, it should be considered as a matter to be enquire into.