PM slams LF govt in Tripura for poor performance

Udaipur, South Tripura, Feb 19 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today flayed the Left Front government in Tripura for not properly implementing central schemes and for the slow pace of development.

Addressing an election rally here, Dr Singh promised to accelerate development and ensure employment for the youth besides, restoring peace and tranquility between tribals and non-tribals if the Congress came to power.

He sought a vote for the Congress and it's alliance partner, tribal based INPT and Peoples Democratic Front (PDS), for the February 23 election to the Tripura assembly. He pointed out that the UPA government at the Centre gave special attention to the Northeast as a whole and Tripura in particular for its strategic location.

Criticising the CPI(M) led state government, the Prime Minister said the Centre had been giving adequate funds to the state, but development did not take place at the expected level because of the inefficiency of the administration. ''As a result, Tripura needs a Congress government this time,'' he stressed.

He stated that the UPA was well-informed about the communication bottlenecks of the Northeast and it had given special emphasis on improvement of rail, road and air connectivity in all the states in the region.

Dr Singh assured that the allocation in the education sector would witness about five-fold increase in the 11th Five Years Plan.

''However, we have prioritised the development of educational infrastructure in the backward region and allocation in educational sector has increased about three-fold during the UPA regime,'' he underlined.

Seeking a vote for the Congress alliance, Dr Singh said, ''The Left Front government is not able to bring industrial entrepreneurs in the state and to be very frank, they do not have sufficient initiatives to develop the state. The Centre has give a huge amount of money, but it could not utilise it.'' UNI XC-BB PL RL RN1549