Venkaiah flays Congress on 'Garibi Hatao'

Chandigarh, Oct 8 (UNI) Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu today assailed the Congress for going back on its slogan 'Garibi Hatoa' and alleged that ''the party lacks vision and has no new ideas to offer to the masses''.

''It seems the Congress has exhausted all its slogans and has reverted to 'Garibi Hatao','' Mr Naidu said while addressing a media conference here.

Even after remaining in power for 50 years, the Congress has failed to eradicate poverty in the country, he claimed, adding, ''the present UPA government has taken no concrete steps in the last two years to get rid of poverty.'' ''By re-adopting the slogan 'Garibi Hatoa', the Congress has admitted that Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi failed to eradicate poverty from the country,'' Mr Naidu alleged.

Regarding a lot of hue and cry raised against the death sentence of Mohammad Afzal Guru, who masterminded the attack on Parliament, Mr Naidu alleged, ''the Congress is compromising the national security only for the sake of cheap, dirty and vote-bank politics.'' He urged UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to read the judgement of the Supreme Court on the death sentenced of Afzal and break their silence on it.

Mr Naidu demanded action against all those who showed sympathy towards perpetrators of terrorism and demanded stringent laws like POTA to curb terrorism.

He also demanded that no peace talk with Pakistan should be held until the neighbouring country stopped sponsoring cross-border terrorism and training camps on its soil.

On the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal seat-sharing arrangement for the coming Punjab Assembly Elections, Mr Naidu said, ''The SAD is the oldest ally of the BJP and there is no question of differences and, if there is any, that would be sorted out soon.'' UNI DP HS KN2227