UPA Govt is busy placating China, accuses BJP

“A complacent UPA is helping China’s strategic expansion, the BJP president told reporters. “The manner in which the UPA government is busy placating China, it has put our strategic interests in jeopardy,” he said.

Singh accused the Communists of indulging in “domestic friendship” with the UPA and “international friendship with China.”

The UPA government has failed miserably on both domestic and international fronts, he said. In the international arena, the government has become isolated, he added.

During the last four years, India has lost the diplomatic edge achieved by the NDA regime, Singh said.

Recent claim by China on the ‘Finger Point area’ in Sikkim shows China’s impudence while dealing with India, he said. China had accepted Sikkim as an integral part of India when the NDA was in power, Singh said.

The meek response to continuing incursions of Chinese troops into Indian territory in Ladakh and North-east has made India a vulnerable target, Singh said.

China is trying to humiliate India as it is emboldened by the UPA government’s complacency, Singh said. “On one hand it is snubbing India on key diplomatic issues and on the other hand is expanding its strategic strength in the region,” he said.

The BJP chief referred to the Chinese nuclear submarine base about 1200 nautical miles off Straits of Malacca, construction of a sea port at Gwadar in Pakistan, installation of radar at Coco islands in Myanmar and building of an airport at Humban Tota in Sri Lanka.

“These developments have helped China in encircling India,” he added.

Singh also expressed fears of imminent economic slowdown due to the ‘wrong policies’ of the UPA regime. “The prices of petrol and diesel have increased nine times in the last four years,” he said.

Inflation has shot up in the UPA regime, Singh said.

“Last week, the inflation rate was 8.24 per cent and I will not be surprised if the rate touches double digits by this month-end,” he said.

The Centre should convene a meeting of chief ministers to formulate a policy on rationalising duties and taxes on petrol products, Singh said.

Singh said he was surprised at the way Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia have been justifying inflation with high growth rate.

“Ahluwalia even went to the extent of saying that high growth rate and low inflation cannot coexist,” he said.

Chidambaram is more concerned about promotion and packaging of the budget than the actual content of the product, Singh said.

The budget was more about attractive packaging and aggressive promotion, he said.

The Centre gets a big chunk of revenues through selling oil but has not done enough to reduce prices, the BJP leader said.