Split in UPA on nuclear issue may result in mid-term poll:BJP

Ahmedabad, Sep 3 (UNI) Mid-term elections were likely in the country as the 'split' between the Congress-led UPA government and its Left allies on the India-US nuclear deal had created an 'unbridgeable gap', BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley claimed here today.

''The UPA government has failed on three counts -- ''weak leadership, indicisive governance and national security'' -- Mr Jaitley said claiming that the government would not last its full term.

Talking to mediapersons, the BJP leader, who arrived here late last night on a day's visit, said, ''Although the next Lok Sabha elections are due only in 2009, there is intense speculation about mid-term polls, perhaps in 2008, because of the uncertainty caused by the Left-Congress differences over the India-US nuclear accord.'' He said the Congress-led UPA government's policy in dealing with terrorism was based on vote-bank politics, which had led to bomb blasts in major metros of the country, killing innocent people.

''The blasts on suburban trains in Mumbai and the recent one in Hyderabad should be studied in detail by security and intelligence agencies to understand the modus operandi of terrorists groups and to curb their activities,'' Mr Jaitley said.

He said during the UPA regime the terrorist and disruptive elements had developed local modules, which are supported by the forces from across the border. To break these modules the law enforcement agencies, mainly intelligence networks, should be given more power, which they were enjoying during BJP-led NDA regime, he said.

''The growing terrorism and weak governance of UPA government will be our main plank for the general election,'' Mr Jaitley said.

UNI