UPA is looting the country: Gadkari

CHENNAI - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari Saturday said the 2G spectrum scam will bring down the United Progressive Alliance government and added that former communications minister A. Raja could not have done the “misdeed” on his own.

He also accused the Congress and the DMK government in Tamil Nadu of looting the country and trying to perpetuate family rule.

Addressing a party rally here to commemorate the completion of 41-day statewide Tamarai yatra, Gadkari said corruption and inflation are two sides of the same coin and the price rise in the country is due to corruption.

According to him, 2010 has been a year of scandals - 2G spectrum, CWG (Commonwealth Games), Adarsh Housing Society, Bofors - the total of which is around Rs.2.50 trillion - roughly three percent of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He said the BJP would bring back the black money stashed abroad once it comes back to power at the centre.

He asked the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi as to why the names of people who have stashed away black money overseas should not be disclosed.

Gadkari said the money if brought back could be used to interlink rivers and asked the people to choose between former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (who is for interlinking of rivers) or Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who is against the proposal.

Raja stepped down as minister in November last year after the government auditor in its report indicted him for allegedly selling 2G spectrum in 2008 at lower prices than the market rates, causing a notional loss of Rs.1.76 lakh crore to the government.