BJP is envious of Congress: Chidambaram

NEW DELHI - Launching a sarcastic attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday described it as being envious of the Congress and its achievements over the past six years.

Addressing a Congress plenary session at Burari in northwest Delhi, Chidambaram said: “The BJP is envious with the Congress. There could be two reasons for it-one was the “electibility” of the Congress and the “re-electibility” of Congress.

“It is the Congress party which knows how to govern and how to get re-elected and govern the country for a second term,” he added.

“It is the Congress party alone which can govern the country for five years and go back to the people and ask for a mandate and get re-elected. The BJP had got one chance and failed,” he said.

He further said: “I have no doubt in mind, that in the next ten years, Congress-ruled Government will be there in Delhi.

He said between 1998 and 2004, when the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance was in power, the highest growth rate in any year that government could deliver was 6.4 per cent.

Look at the record of the BJP. Between 1999 and 2004, for five years, the highest growth rate delivered by the NDA government was 6.4 percent for a year. The lowest growth rate we have delivered in any year is the year in which we had an international financial crisis, and even in that year we delivered 6.7 percent,” he added.

Chidambaram also appealed to the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, to ask every minister of the government to send a quarterly report on the achievement of their respective ministry and department and Congress President Sonia Gandhi to seek a six-monthly report from the government.

Chidambaram also commended Dr. Singh’s sober, far-sighted and statesman-like roadmap.

“I will urge you to pay attention to that roadmap and build a country of our dreams.

Praising Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, Chidambaram said: “If you closed your eyes and heard his voice, you could hear strains of Rajiv Gandhi’s voice 25 years ago.” (ANI)