Press Briefing Monday, 30th Mar
2009
Dr.
Abhishek Singhvi addressed the
media today.
Abhishek Singhvi said that the
past record of the Congress-led
UPA and its manifesto about its
achievements and its future
programme is path breaking; it
reflects a different philosophy,
a different thought and a
revolutionary approach to
governance. The backdrop of that
approach is to provide a
holistic sense of security and
stability - a security which is
financial, security which is
emotional and security which is
physical. It is a holistic
concept. All these three facets
of this holistic concept merge
the basic concept of
development. Therefore, to
obstruct and to stop the
Congress party or the UPA is to
stop development. Dr. Singhvi
explained with examples the
reach under three heads to show
the uniqueness of the past 5
years and the uniqueness of the
programmes promised for the
future.
Dr. Singhvi said that imagine
maintaining an almost 7+% growth
rate over this period but more
importantly an actual rate in
the first 4-1/2 years of this
Government of 8.6% growth. This
8.6% growth in fact masks
unprecendently high growth level
of almost 9% in industry - just
under 9%, 10.3% in the services
sector - the average is 8.6%.
Dr. Singhvi emphasized that in
the agriculture for the first
time in many years has 3.5%.
Dr. Singhvi said that we all
know in contrast for their 5-6
years period the figure is just
6% or 5.8% - to be more precise.
The programmes statistic
employment on which there is lot
of talk . look at the uniqueness
- the NREGA is not just an
acronym or a scheme - but
consider the achievements
already done, 3.5 Crore jobs
have already been provided under
the 100-day programme in the
NREGA. It is all very well to
criticize, to talk of labour
exchange and unemployment. Yes
we have meltdown and other
problems also. Dr. Singhvi said
that against all these odds, we
have been able to provide 3.5
Crore jobs. There are provisions
in the NREGA by which you have
to provide employment to women,
to SCs and STs and 49% of these
beneficiaries are women. That is
half of the figure is women, 30%
are SCs and 20% is STs. This is
the figure and this is the
profile of that figure. Dr.
Singhvi said that this is true
inclusive growth.
Dr. Singhvi said that the
minimum support price for
farmers was raised to 56% for
wheat and 33% for paddy during 5
years of our governance and this
is irrespective of market forces
and irrespective of the demand
and supply. There has been
improved rural connectivity i.e.
11,000 Kms. of new roads - more
than double that of the BJP
Government - and telephony 400%
growth in the rural teledensity
in 5 years. The NREGA, which the
BJP has been laughing at and
internally and quietly feeling
jealous, that they could never
think of such a scheme has
covered every one of 596
Districts across India and this
is inclusive growth at its best.
The agricultural growth is
moving towards 4%. For example
the Rashtriya Krsishi Vikas
Yojana a 25,000 Crore outlays
and huge outlay about
agricultural credit apart from
Rs. 60,000 - Rs 70,000 Crores
loan waiver scheme. Agricultural
credit apart from that has been
given the highest ever boost. It
was Rs. 87,000 Crore during
their time in the last two years
of the previous Government. It
jumped 3-4 times to Rs. 2.5 lakh
Crore in our time. In addition
to that, there was the debt
waiver scheme . Rs. 65,000 to
Rs. 70,000 Crore.
Dr. Singhvi said that we talk of
infrastructure but we forget the
social infrastructure. It is a
misnomer to call it soft
infrastructure. It is not only
roads and bridges - it is
Education and Health. In 60
years of India.s independence,
never before have these outlays
been made for both Education and
Health. We have a 900% increase
in these 5 years period on the
Education outlay. 98% of
habitations, wherever people
live, are covered by primary
schools. The world.s largest (15
Crore children every day) cooked
mid day meal scheme is already
in operation by this Government.
This is where inclusive
governance is given content and
meaning. In addition, there are
special scholarship schemes only
for SCs and STs and Navodaya
Vidyalayas and so on and so
forth.
Dr. Singhvi summed up by saying
that the BJP party love to
promise, they love to criticize
but they never actually achieved
and they mislead you with wrong
facts and figures. They talked
of the RTI, we implemented it.
They talked of the Domestic
Violence Act, we brought it.
They have been talking
repeatedly of the National ID
Card Project. Talking by them
and implementation by us. They
have been talking of other
issues like Central Federal Anti
Terror Agency. It was the
Congress Party who brought the
Bill and got the Act. Now just
to give one example, out of
these four for saving time - The
National ID Card Project. He has
been saying again and again even
during the NDA Government that
we should do it and we will do
it and now when he has been in
the opposition he has been
saying, we will initiate.
Finally, what has happened?
Under our Government 12 lakh ID
cards have already been issued.
This is the multi purpose
Identity Card . Smart Card . a
data base of 25 lakh persons has
already been created. Unified
Identity Card Authority has been
established and a National
Register has been established.
We have made a time bound
commitment to issue identity
cards starting with people
living in 9 coastal States and 4
Union Territories as well as
entire population of Andaman and
Nicobar Islands by 2010 and to
all citizens. This process will
be completed within three years
of 2009. This is an example of
double speak. There are many
more examples.
Dr. Singhvi said that it is
these issues which have to
occupy both the NDA and the BJP
and you. It is, however, the
issue which you find occupying
you are the anti-development
issues. The issues raised by Mr.
Varun Gandhi and by not
disowning him endorsed and
accepted by Mr. Advani. It is
the true face of the BJP that in
the 21st century where a white
America can elect a black
President. Mr. Advani and his
party still talk of religious
divisiveness. We want to ask Mr.
Advani as to whether he wants to
make this a Bhartiya Jhagrhalu
Party, not only for the internal
fights of the BJP, but also
about the Bhartiya Jhagrhalu
Party creating jhagra and dangas
all over India. Is that the
India which the BJP is thinking
of or is it the India which we
have partially achieved in our
manifesto and is it the India
which we have dreamt of in our
manifesto for the future.
Dr. Singhvi said that there are
50 Million new young people
joining the electorate at the
minimum, perhaps more. The
agenda and the charter for them
is not religious or castist
divisiveness. It is not the
politics of cheap phrases and
abuses. It is the agenda of
development which Mr. Advani and
his party have forgotten and
only throw down as a gimmickry
or rhetoric. Dr. Singhvi further
said that the Congress Party
does not believe in exaggeration
and we have sufficient
inventiveness and innovation not
to rely on stereo type glitches
which have been rejected by the
people like .India Shining..
To the question over Mr.
Advani.s statement on Swiss
Bank, Dr. Singhvi said that it
is an important issue. Is it
gimmickry or rhetoric? Is it
melodrama or is it real. Mr.
Advani and BJP have suffered
from convenient amnesia for 11
years and have raised this issue
one month before the elections.
Nothing prevented Mr. Advani
from initiating it during his
tenure, he never did so. Nothing
prevented him even from bringing
a proposal during our tenure, we
have never objected to seriously
considering the merits of a good
proposal. It goes further than
that you have a party which just
yesterday have admitted a first
woman IAS and Chief Secretary of
UP dismissed by the highest
Court of Law for corruption and
Mr. Advani is giving us lectures
about tracing Swiss Bank
accounts. If Mr. Advani wants a
debate, Dr. Singhvi said that
let Mr. Advani have a debate
within his party first about
talking, corruption and
admitting persons like the lady
admitted yesterday. We, on the
other hand, believe in the even
handed enforcement of laws
against corruption. If there is
any constructive suggestion
about that law being amended if
only Mr. Advani had come to us
earlier, he can even do so after
June when he will be in the
opposition and we promise to
look into any proposal
seriously. Dr Singhvi said that
all he can say is that let us
not talk of ideas before
elections to mislead the people.
Let us show the sincerity in
what you have done and what you
propose to do.
To another question of UP
Government slapping NSA against
Varun Gandhi, Dr. Singhvi said
that law and order is the
exclusive domain and
responsibility of the State
Government and everything but
everything which is necessary to
maintain that has to be done by
that Government. They cannot
transfer the responsibility. If
you go through the provisions of
the NSA, it clearly states that
if the Sate Government is of the
opinion that there is danger to
maintenance of public order,
they can invoke the provisions
of NSA. Those who build up a
political strategy to get votes
deliberately and consciously by
breaking the law, then they
should have no fear of
consequence, they should not
criticize when 153-A and 307 at
any stage is invoked. They did
it with open eyes and knowingly
they wanted to become heroes and
martyrs, if they are being
slapped with law of the land,
let them have the courage to
face it. They should have
started criticizing all this and
thought of all this before they
started to blatantly violate the
law. Dr. Singhvi said that there
is no doubt that Mr. Advani.s
party which has encouraged and
not stopped this kind of
politics is the last person or
entity now entitled to criticize
the invocation and application
of the law.
To the question of reaction of
the Congress Party over the
statement of the BJP Unit of
Madhya Pradesh that they will
not call Mr. Varun Gandhi for
campaigning, Dr. Singhvi said
that this is right and further
said this question should be put
to the BJP in light of the
statements of the President of
the JD(U) and of Shiv Sena
supremo Bal Thackrey whether the
BJP is in agreement with their
statements that strict action
should be taken against Varun
Gandhi and he should be
arrested. Before asking for a
debate, Mr. Advani should
clearly say .yes. or .no. to
what Varun Gandhi has said
whether he was right or wrong.
Mr. Advani should make his
position clear on this issue.
To another question whether the
Congress Party.s economic
policies are different from
those of the BJP, Dr. Singhvi
said that one party uses the
phrase to throw it around and
use it as a slogan inclusive
growth i.e. NDA BJP. The other
party - UPA which actualizes it
- is carrying all parts of India
together to empower them not
certainly was neglecting the
empowered part but always never
forgetting the disempowered. In
case of the BJP, it is not so.
On the question of Maneka
Gandhni making a statement that
BJP and BSP are hand in gloves,
Dr. Singhvi said that it is
tragic for the society and I
would find it comic. The person
who creates danga fasad by
statement is not criticized by
Mr. Kalraj Mishra and he is
supporting him. The party which
is criticizing that person is
criticized by him. Dr. Singhvi
said that he leaves it to the
wisdom of the Media to judge
this utter hypocrisy. Those who
foment disruption and
divisiveness must be ready at
least to bear the consequences
of the law and the image which
they create for themselves.
Tom
Vadakkan
Secretary, AICC
