BJP calls Congress an 'unfriendly party'

Dehradun, Jan 28 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit in Uttarakhand on Saturday ended canvassing for the assembly polls by calling the Congress an unfriendly party.

Counting upon the achievements of the BJP in the state, senior party leader Arun Jaitley said that it was on the initiative of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, which was headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, that the state was formed in 2000.

"What was the attitude of everyone towards the state? Every party had to undergo a test on the two issues of development and the economic package received to ensure growth in the state. However BJP always remained friendly towards Uttarakhand state and Congress remained unfriendly," said Jaitley.

Pointing out Congress led UPA government recent failure in taming rising inflation and corruption charges Jaitley said Congress is on the back-foot due the recent emergence of various scams, in which several of its leaders were involved.

He added that Congress Party's 'Vision document 2020' which they made public in Uttar Pradesh promising to allocate 4.5 percent reservation to Muslims is a move to divide the nation on religious lines.

"I feel that this vision document is more of a division document. This is not a vision it is to divide the society and by dividing the society they are trying to take away the rights of backward classes and to incite them and to take undue advantage. And on the basis of this communal tension they play vote bank politics," said Jaitley.

Responding to a question by the mediapersons on the ouster of Khanduri in 2009 Jaitley said that his ouster came in the heat of defeat of party in the parliamentary elections.

"It was an obvious reaction after facing defeat in election and earlier also I had said our party takes into account the expectations of the people and their opinion about our leaders. It is after taking all this into consideration, we felt that people in Uttarakhand have an acceptance for Khanduri and being a responsive political party we have respected the opinion of the people," said Jaitley.

The ensuing polls this year are being viewed as an opportunity for India's major parties to re-establish or strengthen their footholds in the country's five major states.

Voting in Uttarakhand will take place on January 30 and the results will be declared on March 6. (ANI)