BJP Leader urges CEC to hold polls in April

Bangalore, Mar 15 (UNI) Senior BJP Leader and Party vice president M Venkaiah Naidu today urged the Chief Election Commissioner to hold elections to the Karnataka Assembly in April itself, as the State Election Commission has completed the delimitation process.

Speaking to newspersons here, he hoped the Election Commission would complete its job by March 20 and the next step was only to announce the dates for the election.

Since May would be too hot, it was good to hold the elections in April itself, he suggested, adding that there should not be any further delay in this regard.

He complemented the State Election Commission for completion of delimitation process in Karnataka in a record time.

Criticising the UPA government headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said his party was ready to debate the work done by partys for welfare of the farming community in the country.

The Congress had ''ruled and ruined'' the country for 50 years and continuously neglected agriculture sector not bothering to create rural infrastructure.

On the other hand, National Democratic Alliance government (NDA) headed by Mr A B Vajpayee had taken many bold and innovative steps including rural roads programme, linking bank credit to storage in godowns, cold storage chains across the country, Kisan Credit Cards and Food- for-Work Programme, he claimed.

He said the loan waiver announced by Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the Budget ''was too little, too late and a desperate bid to woo the voters, whom they had neglected for four years.'' The RBI had pointed out that small and marginal loans amounted only to Rs 23,200 crore, he pointed out, adding that the BJP, if returned to power, would have a relook on the issue to ensure genuine farmers got the benefit.

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