‘Tainted ministers’: NDA march to Prez today for action

When asked what action did they expect from the President, Fernandes said, what ‘‘he deems fit’’. The two leaders described the common minimum programme (CMP) of the UPA as a ‘‘flimsy wallpaper’’ which had been devised to ‘‘cover cracks and gaps’’ among alliance partners and their outside supporters. The CMP, said the leaders, was a document of compromise which reflected confusion and opportunism that defined the new government.

Singh took potshots at Foreign Minister Natwar Singh over his recent statements. He said the statements on Pakistan veered like a pendulum from one end to another. ‘‘I am sure it would gain a static position,’’ he remarked.

The BJP leader sought to know if the minister’s proposal for a ‘‘common nuclear doctrine’’ between India, Pakistan and China was a ‘‘fanciful individual notion’’ and reflected the ‘‘serious intent of the government’’. If it reflected a serious intent, there ought to have been some elaboration, he said and pointed out that the doctrines of the three countries varied. While India was committed to the minimum deterrent and no first-use, Pakistan did not subscribe to the same and China’s concept was totally different.

When asked if the NDA leaders saw two centres of power in the new regime, Singh said: ‘‘There is one steering wheel, but five or six hands on it. There are numerous feet clamping down on the brake pedal, but no one knows where the accelerator is.’’

Fernandes and Singh, who released a detailed comparative study of the NDA agenda and CMP (‘A prescription for regression’), said the UPA document made loud promises like job creation and investment in agriculture and infrastructure, but failed to clarify where would the resources to fund them come from.

Singh said fiscal deficit was at 4.6 per cent of GDP during NDA rule, and revenue deficit was lower at 3.5 per cent with revenue collection exceeding the budget target. He said the higher spending promised by CMP should be accompanied by higher revenue generation.

He, however, did not comment on the proposal for a cess on all central taxes to fund education. ‘‘I will like to see it in concrete terms.’’

The NDA claimed the UPA government was stalling the river-linking project. It said the Government, by backtracking on the implementation of Electricity Bill, signalled the worsening of power situation in the country. The CMP made no mention of the national highway development project and the rural road scheme. Nor was there any mention of airports, civil aviation and biotechnology, while two fast-growing sectors — telecom and IT — had attracted only a passing reference. They said the CMP also did not recognise the need to bridge the rural-urban divide.