BJP trying to hide its poll debacle by raising Doda: Cong

New Delhi, May 15 (UNI) The BJP is trying to divert the people's attention from its debacle in the just-concluded assembly elections in five states by raising in Parliament today the issue of terrorist attacks in Doda and Udhampur, the Congress said today.

''The Congress fails to understand why the BJP raised the issue through an adjournment motion an issue relating to an incident that took place two weeks ago,'' Congress spokesman Rajiv Shukla told reporters.

The fact that the BJP was raking up the issue after the assembly election results had made it clear that it was not Doda, but its dismal performance in the elections in which it failed to get a single seat in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala and West Bengal, was behind the opposition party's move, Mr Shukla said.

The BJP could have raised the issue immediately upon the resumption of the Budget session after the recess, he said.

Further, the BJP wanted the issue to be taken up immediately in the Rajya Sabha, but when the government agreed to accept the demand, the opposition raised trivial issues such as the absence of the Home Minister, Prime Minister or the Defence Minister in the House, he said.

This was despite the accepted the convention and rulings of the presiding officers that the presence of any Cabinet Minister was sufficient during such debates, he pointed out.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil was at that present in the Lok Sabha and as such he could not be simultaneouly attending the Rajya Sabha also, Mr Shukla said.

The Congress, when it was in the opposition during the NDA rule, never sought the suspension of question hour to discuss the innumerable terrorist attacks, including those at the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, the Raghunath Mandir or on Amarnath yatris, he said.

UNI SN VD HT1728