Paswan terms BJP as enemy of country

Jamshedpur, Aug 22 (UNI) Lok Jana Shakti Party(LJP) supremo and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today dubbed the BJP as a party with no principle and the enemy of the country.

Campaigning for Mrs Suman Mahto, the UPA-supported Jharkhand Mukti Morcha(JMM) candidate for Jamshedpur Lok Sabha bypoll here,Mr Paswan said, ''The BJP is a party of capitalist forces and is trying to divide the country on communal and caste lines.'' The Union Steel and Fertiliser Minister also castigated the BJP for destroying the Babri mosque.

Describing Mrs Mahto, the widow of the slain JMM MP, as a fit candidate who could take the place of her husband, Mr Paswan said all the UPA constituents were working for a landslide victory in her favour.

Briefing his achievements as a minister, Mr Paswan said whatever portfolio he was given, be it Railways, Telecommunications or Steel and Fertiliser, he had provided benefit to the masses.

He said during his present tenure the steel sector had flourished and the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL)had recorded a profit of Rs 15,000 crore while private players like the Tata Steel took over the Anglo-Dutch steel company Corus.

Mr Paswan said he also brought the prices of life saving drugs and fertiliser products under control.

Jharkhand Deputy Chief Minister Sudhir Mahto and the JMM leader said Mrs Mahto would win with a big margin as the presence of other candidates would not pose any threat to the UPA nominee.

Mrs Mahto said she was proud of being the widow of a martyr who had sacrificed his life for the cause of the people. She said she inherited an indomitable spirit from her husband which would inspire her to serve the people of Jharkhand.

CPI MP from Hazaribag Bhuwaneshwar Mehta, Congress leader Ramshray Prasad Singh and LJP state president Hidayatullah Khan also spoke on the occasion.

UNI