BJP attacks PM, says he is leading an insensitive govt

Palampur: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday launched a frontal

attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, charging that he is heading the "most corrupt and insensitive" government of the country. Addressing election rallies at Palampur and Pachhad, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj accused the Prime Minister of shifting the blame for scams on ministers. However, he cannot escape responsibility being the head of the cabinet, she said.

"The Prime Minister is surrounded by corrupt people but as head of the cabinet he cannot escape responsibility and is accountable to the people," she said. "I have asked this question directly from the Prime Minister in Parliament but he did not respond but as Prime Minister he cannot shift blame and has to be morally accountable," she added.

Charging that the UPA government was involved in scams on the earth, beneath the earth and in the sky, she said "like a good sportsperson, Congress is breaking its own record of corruption and after 1.76 lakh crore 2G scam another 1.86 lakh crore coalgate scam has surfaced". Lashing out at the government for rising prices, the BJP leader said the UPA government was not only corrupt but

"totally insensitive" to the plight of the common man reeling under rising prices and the decision to cap the number of subsidised LPG cylinders to six would put further burden on common people.

Criticising government's move to allow FDI in retail, she said the Prime minister and the UPA government has "betrayed" the people of the country by backing out from the solemn assurance given in Parliament by then Finance Minister (now president), Pranab Mukherjee, that all stakeholders and Chief Minister would be consulted and the decision would be put on hold till a consensus is arrived.

However, it decided to allow FDI in retail without any consultations and threatened the livelihood of about 12 crore small trader families, she alleged. Later responding to queries of mediapersons, she evaded questions regarding allegations against BJP president Nitin Gadkari and said he has himself offered for probe by any agency which would be conducted by the government.