BJP demands apology from Sonia Gandhi

Kohima, Mar 1 (UNI) The Nagaland unit of the BJP has demanded an aplogy from AICC president Sonia Gandhi to the people of the state as the Congress-led NDA government at the Centre had imposed President's Rule in the state, ousting the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) government.

In a statement, national spokesman and BJP in-charge in the state Rajiv Pratap Rudy said imposition of President's Rule in the state had ''trampled all democratic norms and unleashed lawlessness in the state.'' The BJP leader also demanded an answer from the AICC president as to why President's Rule was imposed just a few days ahead of the announcement of the March five Assembly elections.

''Ms Gandhi endorsed President's Rule only because the state was being governed by non-Congress parties, led by the Nagaland Peoples Front (NPF), in which the BJP was also a coalition partner,'' Mr Rudy said.

The ''undemocratic'' President's Rule thrust on the state had led to anarchy and all the developmental activities had been stalled as the peace talks also had been pushed to the backseat, the BJP spokesman alleged.

''The UPA government at the Centre did not even provide enough financial support to the state. During the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime, the state was provided as much as Rs 1,050 crore special package, besides Rs 350 crore towards clearance of deficit. However, during the past four years of the UPA rule, the state has been neglected and discriminated with,'' Mr Rudy said.

He also alleged that the UPA government had acted with vengeance towards the people of the state as they had elected a non-Congress government.

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