BJP says Mamata should quit UPA over corruption, price rise

Kolkata, Feb 15 (PTI) Targeting its one-time ally theTrinamool Congress, the BJP today challenged its chief MamataBanerjee to quit the UPA on the issues of corruption and pricerise.

"If Mamata Banerjee thinks that the UPA is responsiblefor price rise and corruption, she has to explain why she issitting in the government. If she has to fight these issues,let her quit the government in Delhi and launch a campaign inBengal," BJP chief Nitin Gadkari said at a party rally.

Senior BJP leader L K Advani, without directly namingBanerjee or her party, said, "How can faith be reposed onsomeone who goes with one today and with another tomorrow?"

Claiming that corruption and price rise were rampantunder the UPA regime, Gadkari said that the Congress wasresponsible for "looting the country".

He said Suresh Kalmadi, who as chairman of theOrganising Committee when the Rs 70,000-crore CWG scam wasunearthed, was being protected by a "godfather and godmother".

Gadkari claimed the ''godfather'' of A Raja, the formerTelecom minister who is facing probe in the Rs 1.76-crore 2Gspectrum scam, was "looting the country".

He claimed that Rs 60,000 crore of black money wasstashed away in foreign banks. "Why isn''t the governmentpublishing the names of those holding the money? (UnionFinance Minister) Pranab Mukherjee has said in an affidavit inSupreme Court that publishing the names would be against theinterest of the country. Actually, it will be against theinterest of the Congress." (MORE)PTI SBR PKC MD