Advani terms UPA's performance a 'total failure'

Thiruvananthapuram/Mysore/Siliguri/Lucknow/New Delhi/Hyderabad, Mar 8 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate L. K. Advani, who made a whistle-stop tour of Thiruvananthapuram, termed the UPA Government's performance as a 'total failure'.

"It's an occasion for the electorate to judge the performance of the UPA Government. How on all fronts it has been a total disaster," Advani said.

In Karnataka, state Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa down played a political controversy over the cancellation of official engagement by Home Minister P. Chidambaram

Media reports said Chidambaram did not complete his official engagements in the state as Yediyurappa was absent.

"At Bangalore, after all the arrangements were made, our Home (Interior) Minister was waiting for Chidambaram at the airport whereas at Mumbai, when he went there, the Chief Minister was not in station. Yet, he met the state Home Minister there, but not here and returned without any discussions," Yediyurappa said in Mysore.

In Siluguri, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said his party would have tie-ups with smaller parties at regional level, but will not go for a national-level coalition.

"Even though we will have coalition with regional parties, but not on a national level. There will be no question of any such move," Mukherjee said.

In Uttar Pradesh, Digvijay Singh, Congress leader and in-charge of the state, blamed the State Government of mismanaging welfare funds released by the Congress-led Central Government.

"The State Government is not releasing money. People are not being given salary and are being laid off. For this, we have warned the State Government that it should release the money at the earliest. And it is our effort that money allotted by the Central Government for the welfare of minorities, should reach them," Singh said.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) lashed out at the BJP for allegedly ridiculing the Third Front.

"We should tell Venkaiah Naidu that you are senior leader of a party. You should be more realistic and more courteous and more cultured, when you talk of about other parties and their fronts," CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said in southern Hyderabad. (ANI)