BJP, Cong spar on Modi govt's performance

Congress and BJP today sparred over Modi government's performance with former Union Minister P Chidambaram attacking the Centre on its handling of economy and BJP hitting back asking the opposition party to introspect instead of levelling "false charges".
Rejecting Chidambaram's criticism, BJP called him a "failed Finance Minister under whom the country GDP's grew below 5 per cent while it was rising at 7.5 per cent" under Modi government.
Chidambaram today accused the Modi government of failing to go for bold structural reforms, needed to give a push to the economy, and said it should pluck up courage for it and also engage with the Opposition.

At a press conference on two years of Modi government, he wondered that "if agriculture and industry are in distress, what is there to celebrate?"
BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said Congress should introspect instead of making "false charges" against the government which is trying to set right the "wrongs" committed during UPA rule.
"Congress is passing through bad times and should introspect as to why it is shrinking and why people are rejecting it. Congress will not benefit by attacking the Modi government and by making false allegations against it," Sharma said at a press conference.

The BJP leader also accused the Congress of propagating Pakistan's "saffron terror theory" to tarnish India's image world-wide and "glorifying" terrorists like Ishrat Jehan.

"As a failed Home Minister, you gave saffron terror theory as propounded by Pakistan to tarnish India's image worldwide and put innocents behind bars for your political gains and for votebank politics.
"Now when law is taking its course, Congress is frustrated and is trying to point fingers at the role of intelligence agencies," he said.
Chidambaram today advised the Centre to reach out to the opposition, saying Congress is ready to engage with government, if it means business.
"Work with opposition, engage the opposition. There is talent and sound advice outside the government. Call them, talk to them. That's the advice I will give any government including my own government," he said.

Sharma said that an "incompetent" Congress is now trying to point fingers at this government after public rejected it.
"Congress today stands exposed before the public and is doing this propaganda out of frustration and the public will reject all the false charges being made by it against NDA government," he said.
Sharma claimed that what Congress failed to do in the last 60 years, the BJP government has tried to do in the last two years.