NDA spreading web of prosperity: PM

Taking a swipe at Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for her accusation that his government was spreading mayajaal (illusion), Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today countered it saying the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition was instead spreading a "web of prosperity".

"Maya is with Sonia Gandhi but we are spreading the jaal (web) of prosperity," he said addressing a rally here.

"What the Congress could not do in 50 years, we have achieved in five years. We promise more progress in the next five years (if voted back to power)," Vajpayee said.

Focusing on development as the coalition's theme, Vajpayee said his government would execute projects linking the country end-to-end with better roads and take up interlinking of rivers.

He, however, said there would be no reduction of employment opportunities.

"We want to increase employment. Let me assure you all that we are doing for modernisation and quickening connectivity in the country is not aimed at reducing jobs but at increasing them," he said.

Vajpayee referred to a discussion in Parliament where Sonia Gandhi had questioned his statement on creation of more jobs and likened it to day-dreaming.

"In Parliament, Sonia Gandhi questioned our pledge to create over 8 million jobs and said we are day-dreaming. But I had laid out a chart of 8.2 million jobs before her," he said.

When the government promised to increase jobs, it was referring to creation of more opportunities through projects it was executing, he said and asked youngsters not to seek only government jobs.

Earlier, Vajpayee inaugurated a road constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana at the Bodaia panchayat and laid the foundation stone of a regional institute of medical sciences near here.