People 'fed up' with the Prime Minister, BJP: Ghulam Nabi Azad

Puducherry, Feb 12: Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad today claimed people were "fed up" with the performance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP.

Speaking at a function here, Azad claimed people of different places visited by him said that they "could not wait" for the remaining three-and-half years and wanted to know if there was a way to advance polls (to the Lok Sabha).

"People of the country are fed up with the performance of the Prime Minister and they are waiting," he said, adding people would perhaps like to listen to Modi's speeches, but when it comes to performance of the PM and BJP, they get "zero".

The leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said in Puducherry too people had high expectations from Chief Minister N Rangasamy, but he has not done anything to fulfil his poll promises. The NDA rule at the Centre had promised special status and packages for Puducherry but had not taken the Chief Minister seriously, he alleged.

Azad said when he was Minister of State for Home in 1986, the Union Territories were under his charge and they were taken care of with special programmes by Congress governments. It had been policy of Centre under Congress to help smaller states financially and politically, he said.

The respect and dignity which Chief Ministers of the smaller states enjoyed during Congress rule is not seen in the present NDA rule, Azad claimed.

Speaking after felicitating Congress legislator from Mahe E. Valsaraj on him completing 25 years as MLA without break, he appealed party leaders here to stand united and fight BJP and anti-Congress forces with determination and confidence.

By such approach "we will form the government again in Puducherry in the coming polls," Azad said, adding Congress would come back to power in the next Lok Sabha elections under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. He said Congress had won elections in Puducherry though both AIADMK and DMK rejected an alliance and hence should not look for tie-ups all the time.

"What we need in southern part of the country and particularly in Puducherry is determination, self-confidence. If alliance takes place its very good. Should there be no alliance ... what we need is self-confidence and determination as we had in 2001.

Then victory would be ours," he said. AICC General Secretary Mukul Wasnik, Pradesh Congress Committee leader A Namassivayam, former Central Minister V Narayanasamy, Leader of the opposition V Vaithilingam also spoke at the felicitation programme.

PTI