Senior BJP leader and Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh has exuded confidence that the BJP would emerge as the single largest party at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections.
Singh was also confident that the next government in Orissa will be formed by the BJP.
Addressing media persons here, he said, “The BJP is set to emerge as the single largest party after the Lok Sabha polls as the people in the country are disillusioned with the UPA government which in its five years of rule has failed to tackle price rise and terrorism. In Orissa too, the next government after the Assembly elections cannot be formed without the BJP.”
In Chhattisgarh, the BJP would bag all the 11 Lok Sabha seats and its vote percentage will go up by 4-5 per cent in the state, claimed Singh. In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP triumphed in 10 out of the 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh.
“The people in Chhattisgarh would vote for the BJP because of its development agenda and people friendly measures. Our government has been fighting hard against the Naxalite menace in Chhattisgarh and the Salva Judum movement exemplifies our commitment to combat the Naxal forces”, he said.
The Chhattisgarh chief minister pointed out that his government had taken up development programmes exclusively for the Naxal infested regions like Bastar and Sarbuja and separate funds were earmarked by the state government for the development measures of these two regions. Singh suggested that an Integrated Action Plan was needed for all states in the county which were grappling with the Naxalite menace. The Integrated Action Plan would help in better coordination among the Naxal infested states like Chhhattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh.
Asked if the Centre was offering enough assistance to the Naxal affected states, he replied, the measures to tackle the Naxalite menace are in place but we need to crack the whip failing which the Naxal forces would grow and spread to other regions.