BJP calls Cong manifesto 'white paper of betrayal'

Shimla, Dec 13 (UNI) Terming the Congress manifesto as a ''white paper of betrayal'', the BJP today said it had nothing to offer and was marked by the Congress Government's failure because the same set of promises had been redrafted on which the party rode to power in the last elections.

''A party in power seeks a positive vote on its performance and achievements, but the Virbhadra Singh Government has failed to come out with a statement about the commitments fulfilled that were made in the last elections,'' BJP's state incharge Satpal Jain said at a press conference here.

''The manifesto is a repeat of the one drafted in 2003 and clearly shows that all promises made then remain unfulfilled,'' he said.

Referring to former State Transport and Tourism Minister G S Bali's demand for deploying para military forces in his Nagrota Bhagwan constituency, Mr Jain said he seemed to have lost faith in his own government or the election department.

The BJP had full faith in the election machinery and would not mind whether the CRPF, the BSF of the Army was called in for conducting the elections in the state, he added.

Reacting to Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma's statements about the conflict between two different ideologies, he said the Congress party's secular credentials were questionable.

''The UPA Government has a representative from the Muslim League which was responsible for the partition of the country on religious lines. The Congress could go to any length to remain in power.'' Referring to the toppling of the National Front Government headed by I K Gujral in 1999, he said it had then said that it did not want to support a coalition that included the DMK, which had a role in sheltering the LTTE, which was responsible for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Mr Jain said the Congress had included that party in the coalition due to its hunger for power.

Accusing the UPA Government of being soft towards perpetrators of terrorist acts, he said one of the main accused in the Parliament attack case was not being hanged since the government was hesitant to carry out the order to appease a particular section of society.

UNI