UPA's 3 year report card a hypocritical exercise: JD-U

New Delhi, May 23 (UNI) Janata Dal (United) today criticised the release of a report card on the completion of three years of the UPA Government as a totally meaningless and hypocritical exercise.

Talking to reporters here, JD (U) president Sharad Yadav said at the end of three years, the life of " Aam Aadmi" has been made unbearable by steep price rise of essential commodities and attack on their livelihoods by snatching employment opportunities through the faulty policies such as Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and entry of big houses in retail trade.

The benefits of rising Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been cornered by a very small section of the population. Disparity has grown in society, he added.

He said the list of failures of the UPA government is endless.

Farming community and agriculture which is the mainstay of Indian social and economic fabric has been hit very hard by the policies of the UPA Government. The contribution of agriculture in GDP has become considerably lower and rate of agriculture growth is pathetic at less than two per cent, he added.

Mr Yadav said the National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) scheme is only in selected districts and that too is being delivered in an unsatisfactory manner. In any case NREG can not be a substitute for a sound policy of agriculture and rural development which has become non-existent. The farmers are being forced to commit suicides all over the country, he regretted.

The policy of SEZ is taking the fertile land away from farmers and endangering the food security of the country. The forward trading and commodity exchanges have fuelled the price rise. The country is witness to import of pulses, edible oils, wheat and now there is talk of importing milk, Mr Yadav said.

UNI