Ludhiana, May 10: In a show of unity, Leaders of
NDA on Sunday came together here at a rally at which Bihar Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar shed his reservations to share the stage
with his Gujarat counterpart and BJP leader Narendra Modi.
BJP`s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani and Chief
Ministers of NDA-ruled states among others attended the rally
in which the TRS, which fought the elections in alliance with
the Left parties and TDP in Andhra Pradesh, appeared on the
NDA platform in a major boost to the BJP-led front.
The rally
in Punjab`s industrial city hosted by Akali Dal chief and
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was also billed as a
show of strength ahead of the counting of votes on May 16.
Nitish shares dias with Modi
Nitish Kumar, who is being wooed by the Congress and the
Left for a post-poll tie-up and who said he will never share
the dais with Modi, lashed out at the UPA for its "indifferent
attitude" towards non-Congress ruled states at the time of
disbursement of funds during natural calamities. Nitish
alleged how Bihar had not received a "single penny" as relief
to deal with the major Kosi flood crisis.
When Modi came to the dais, he straight away went to
Nitish and greeted him. Modi clasped Nitish`s hand and raised
it in a display of unity.
In a blistering attack on the UPA, Advani claimed that
the Congress-led Front had disintegrated and that it had no
"single achievement" to its credit during its five-year rule.
TRS dumps Third Front
TRS Chief K Chandrashekar Rao, who sprang a surprise with
his presence, said his party will support the NDA and get
"other friends" to join as well.
BJP president Rajnath Singh and his colleagues Sushma
Swaraj and Gopinath Munde, Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi, JD
(U)`s Sharad Yadav, RLD chief Ajit Singh, INLD chief Om
Prakash Chautala, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa,
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan,
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, Punjab Deputy Chief
Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal also attended the rally.
Chandra Mohan Patowary (AGP) and Bimal Gurung (Gorkha
Janamukti Morcha) were also present.
Rao alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has
betrayed the people of Telengana.
Countering Congress`s charge that NDA was a sinking ship,
Advani said,"if we have lost one ally we have gained five
new ones" and referred to the presence of seven Chief
ministers and other leaders present on the stage.
"On one hand there is NDA which is going strong for
the past 11 years whereas the UPA, which started with a bang,
has completely distintegrated today," he said.
Advani said he had participated in all the Lok Sabha
elections till date directly and indirectly, "but this is the
first government I have seen which does not have any
achievement to show." He also criticised the UPA for being
biased against NDA-ruled states.
Nitish attacks Cong
Citing Bihar as an example of Centre`s discrimination
towards non-Congress states, Nitish said "when the PM visited
Bihar during the Kosi floods, he declared it a national
disaster. They proclaimed that Bihar government asked for Rs
1,000 crore but they gave us Rs 1,010 crore. I am sad to say
that thus far we have`nt received a penny from the Centre."
"And for relief, the Rs 1,000 crore they had given,
after the polling in the Kosi area was over, exactly 20
minutes after that at 5.20 PM,we received a fax from the
central government asking for that Rs 1,200 crore back."
During the time of a natural calamity when everybody
helps each other, the Centre is more concerned about getting
its money back, Nitish said. "Its shameful for the country."
Rejecting Congress and Left overtures, Nitish said
there was "no possibility" of his being in touch with non-NDA
parties and asked the people to bring the BJP-led alliance to
power to "avenge" the Centre`s attitude towards his state.
Modi raked up the Quattrocchi issue and also accused
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of doing nothing for the cause
of the Sri Lankan Tamils.
"I want to question the Prime Minister that why in the
midst of elections, he was worried about Quattrocchi being
harassed and cleared his file, but (still) remains silent when
lakhs of our Tamil brothers are going through tough time in
Sri Lanka?" Modi asked.
Countering Rahul Gandhi`s overtures to woo Sikhs during
his election rallies in Punjab yesterday, Modi said if the
party is so concerned about the community then why had the
then Congress regime shown "haste" in carrying out death
sentence of a Sikh youth, who was charged with the killing of
the then Army Chief General Vaidya in the 1980s.
SAD attacks UPA
Addressing the public meeting, Punjab Chief Minister and SAD supremo Parkash Singh Badal came down heavily on the UPA government at the Centre saying it had failed on all fronts.
He alleged the Congress was responsible for Operation
Blue Star and 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Badal alleged Punjab was given step-motherly treatment
by successive Congress governments at the Centre.
On the contrary, Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government
provided liberal financial assistance for various development
schemes in the state.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal also lashed
out at the Congress saying those involved in anti-Sikh riots
were made Ministers and rewarded with party tickets.
He appealed to people to bring back the NDA to power for
a prosperous Punjab.
Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav said farmers
were committing suicides while the Congress was coining "Jai
Ho" slogan.
"I think they are saying Jai ho to poverty plaguing the
country," he said.
Addressing the rally, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh
alleged the UPA government had failed to check terrorism.
"Advani raised the issue of black money in foreign banks
but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has no answer to it," he
said.
Taking potshots at Manmohan Singh, the RLD leader said
despite being an economist, he failed to take appropriate
measures to check inflation.
BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said the rally was not a show
of strength by the NDA but a display of its "self confidence".
Bureau Report
