Press Briefing Friday, 3rd Apr 2009

Shri Kapil Sibal addressed the media today.

Shri Kapil Sibal said that the BJP Party has released their manifesto today. We fail to understand the need of announcing their manifesto as they themselves say that they are not going to form the Government. Where is the need for announcing such a manifesto when they know that they are going to sit in the opposition?

Shri Sibal advised the BJP Party that when they sit in the Opposition after 16th May, 2009 then they should release their manifesto of the Opposition. In this they should make it clear as to which issues they will be raising in the Parliament. Whether they will let the Parliament function smoothly or not?

Shri Sibal said they know themselves that they cannot fulfill the promises made in the manifesto. This is the misfortune because they intend to form the NDA Government whereas they are releasing the BJP manifesto. The allies of NDA are not moving ahead with this manifesto as already stated by Shri Nitish Kumar. They know for themselves that this manifesto does not carry any meaning since they are dreaming of a NDA Government and not a BJP Government.

The last time also when they had released their manifesto, we had asked them that they had not fulfilled the promises made in their manifesto. They had then replied that it was the manifesto of BJP and not of the NDA and the government was that of the NDA. So it would have been correct on their part to have released the manifesto on the role of the opposition after 16th May 2009.

Shri Kapil Sibal wished to congratulate the BJP Party that at least they have now admitted in their manifesto that the POTA was misused against innocent people. Today they say that they will introduce some amendments in the POTA so that the same is not misused against the innocents. Shri Kapil Sibal said that he wishes to congratulate especially Shri Advaniji that for the first time the BJP party, which had opposed the amendments to the draconian law, has said that it will now introduce amendments in POTA.

Shri Kapil Sibal said that at least 70 per cent of the programmes announced in their manifesto are the repetition of the on-going programmes already announced by the Congress Party.

As far as their agenda for Ram Mandir and Article 370 is concerned, he said the BJP party knows fully well that they cannot fulfill such promises since they know themselves that NDA Government will not be formed. This is their misfortune.

Shri Sibal said that the manifesto of the BJP is meaningless in view of the fact that when the Congress talked of providing wheat and rice at Rs. 3/- per Kg. they mocked at us. Now the BJP says that they will provide wheat and rice at Rs. 2/- per Kg. and 35 Kg. per month. Shri Sibal said that this cannot happen by sitting in the opposition. They simply copy the schemes of the Congress Party.

Shri Kapil Sibal further said that they have a separate chapter .Science & Technology. in their manifesto. He further said that this is his ministries chapter and what he has already done is included in their manifesto. They must have browsed his website.

On .Ladli. scheme that was introduced in Rajasthan, Shri Sibal asked them that they should make their stand clear. On the one hand the BJP party insults the .Ladli. by dragging them from restaurants in Mangalore and on the other hand they that want to do something for .Ladli.. They should not adopt double standards. They should clearly express their feelings about .Ladli..

Shri Kapil Sibal further brought out a fact that on the back page of the manifesto released by the BJP, there is a poem of Shri Rabindra Nath Tagore and after the last line of the said poem which reads .where the mind is led forward...into ever-widening thought and action.... - Vote BJP. It is contradiction in terms to widen the mind, to take it forward both in thought and action. They have a narrow agenda, a narrow vision, a narrow mind and they are quoting Shri Rabindra Nath Tagore and then Vote BJP. These two are contradictory in itself.

Shri Kapil Sibal said that the BJP Party has announced in their manifesto that they will fight terror. We want to ask them a question as to where they will fight terror -- in Parliament or in Kandhar. He said that it was the BJP party alone that had released Maulana Masood Azhar in Kandhar that gave birth to Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pakistan. Later on it was Jaish-e-Mohammad that attacked the Parliament House.

Shri Kapil Sibal said that it is very strange that the BJP party has announced the rates and slabs of Income Tax in their manifesto. The Congress Party has presented Interim Budget and a new budget will be presented after the Government is formed. How much relief can be provided will be decided only after the Government is formed. This is something which should not be said in the manifesto that you will raise the exemption limit of the income tax to Rs. 3 lakhs. That is exactly the prerogative of the Finance Minister and Government in power considering the economic situation of the country. This is completely unethical. Ultimately the essence of the budget that the people are interested is rate of direct and indirect taxes and most individuals in the country are concerned with direct taxes. Giving the figure of this nature is not appropriate. This is not something which should be the part of the manifesto.

In comparison to the education policy announced by the BJP party in their manifesto, Shri Kapi.l Sibal said that the Congress Party has already launched a merit based scholarship scheme plus a need based loan scheme. Those in need will either get Scholarship or get loan with a long term return payment with a very low rate of interest.

With regard to introducing internet facility in villages as announced by the BJP party in their manifesto, Shri Sibal said that the Congress Party has already stated that within next three years, there will be broad band facility in every village in this country.

He wondered what was in this manifesto that reflects the vision of the BJP party except Ram Mandir, Article 370 and a Uniform Civil Code. These they know they cannot implement as they cannot form the Government as have already been claimed by Ms. Sushma Swaraj.

Shri Sibal said that the BJP party has once again talked of the black money. This is very good that at least they have now thought of it. They did not think of it when they were in power holding the position of Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister for the last 11 years.

Tom Vadakkan

Secretary, AICC