 "Indecisive PM weakened India, says Jaitley")
The lack of decisive leadership in Congress-led UPA government was costing the country dear and nobody was taking India seriously, said leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and BJP leader Arun Jaitley.
Participating in an interactive session organised in Dharwad on Sunday, he said the country was suffering policy paralysis under an "indecisive Prime Minister Manmohan Singh".
He ridiculed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for terming the encroachment of Indian land near Ladakh by China as a local dispute and said Manmohan Singh's tenure of 10 years as prime minister was a wasted opportunity. "PM Manmohan Singh was basically an economist, but now he is a better politician than an economist as there has been a reverse flight of capital due to wrong economic policies adopted for political reasons," Jaitley said.
Whatever progress is happening is because of the initiative of state governments, he added. The leadership is judged by the responses of the leader and looking at responses from prime minister to the burning issues, it is clear that India has become weak under his leadership and even an island like Maldives was daring India, Jaitley said.
Referring to the BJP in Karnataka, Jaitley admitted that there were skirmishes within the party and allegations of corruption on some leaders. But, the party has ensured that the tainted were shunted out and the party has been cleansed now. "We have cleaned our party first and are committed to cleansing the political system in the country," Jaitley asserted and asked people to support the BJP in Karnataka as it had done a lot of development works despite facing political turmoil from within and outside in the last five years.
BJP state president Prahlad Joshi said BJP under Vajpayaee set the tradition of seeking votes on the basis of performance while the Congress always played the emotional card to seek votes.
Participating in an interactive session organised in Dharwad on Sunday, he said the country was suffering policy paralysis under an "indecisive Prime Minister Manmohan Singh".
He ridiculed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for terming the encroachment of Indian land near Ladakh by China as a local dispute and said Manmohan Singh's tenure of 10 years as prime minister was a wasted opportunity. "PM Manmohan Singh was basically an economist, but now he is a better politician than an economist as there has been a reverse flight of capital due to wrong economic policies adopted for political reasons," Jaitley said.
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Citing the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the Prime Minister of India as the most development oriented, Jaitley said Vajpayee was a responsive and responsible leader who had a vision for the country's development. But in case of Manmohan Singh, it is reverse and the process of development has slowed down.
Whatever progress is happening is because of the initiative of state governments, he added. The leadership is judged by the responses of the leader and looking at responses from prime minister to the burning issues, it is clear that India has become weak under his leadership and even an island like Maldives was daring India, Jaitley said.
Referring to the BJP in Karnataka, Jaitley admitted that there were skirmishes within the party and allegations of corruption on some leaders. But, the party has ensured that the tainted were shunted out and the party has been cleansed now. "We have cleaned our party first and are committed to cleansing the political system in the country," Jaitley asserted and asked people to support the BJP in Karnataka as it had done a lot of development works despite facing political turmoil from within and outside in the last five years.
BJP state president Prahlad Joshi said BJP under Vajpayaee set the tradition of seeking votes on the basis of performance while the Congress always played the emotional card to seek votes.