PATNA (TIP): Describing the nationwide bandh as an “unprecedented” success, the BJP on September 20 claimed the UPA government has been reduced to minority after the Samajwadi Party, an outside supporter of Congress-led coalition, joined the bandh with its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav courting arrest.

“The spontaneous stir has reminded us the memories of movement led by Jai Prakash Narayan in 1970s,” BJP national spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad told reporters.

After Mulayam Singh Yadav courted arrest in Delhi, taking part in the bandh against FDI in retail, diesel price hike and limiting subsidised LPG cylinders to a household, Prasad said it was now clear that the UPA government has become minority and lost all moral rights to take crucial policy decisions.

The SP chief has publicly disapproved of the Centre’s policies, days after another UPA ally, the Trinamool Congress, withdrew support on identical issues, he said. The UPA government was doomed given the public mood against it and it would be thrown out of power in the next Parliamentary elections, Prasad said.
On the brave face being put up by Congress leaders, he said those who were weak from within generally show arrogance on their faces.

The senior BJP leader alleged the UPA government has problems with loss to exchequer due to subsidies in fuel products, but it has no qualms in waiving non-performing loans of industrialists and presiding over various “scams plundering public money.”

Slamming the Centre’s decision to allow 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail, Prasad said the measure would only boost local and foreign corporates, and claimed that a section of corporates was putting pressure on the media to support it.

“They are those who will benefit once the foreign retailers come over to India to set up shops,” he said. On the UPA trying to woo the BJD to make up numbers after withdrawal of support by the TMC, Prasad claimed BJD president Naveen Patnaik had not taken the final decision.

Patnaik has been an anti-Congress leader all of his life, the BJP leader claimed.

On CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat’s reported remarks about revival of the Third Front, Prasad said there was no likelihood of a government being formed by Third Front leaders in future as was the case with former prime ministers V P Singh, Chandrashekhar, H D Deve Gowda and I K Gujral. On the prospect of the Mulayam Singh Yadav as a prime ministerial candidate of the Third Front, Prasad said he has nothing to say on this question.

Despite Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar’s call that he would support any party which grants special status to Bihar, he said Kumar’s anti-Congress credentials were beyond doubt.

“Nobody will support a government that has been afflicted with paralysis,” Prasad said, but added Kumar was entitled to his own views.