As the Congress-led UPA government observes its fourth anniversary on Thursday, its Left allies have expressed dissatisfaction over its failure to curb inflation and the agrarian crisis. "In the context of rising prices and deepening misery of the people, I don't think they should celebrate," CPI general secretary A B Bardhan said. "There are some things which affect the people very much. Food security is one of them, rising prices is another, agrarian crisis is the third thing. These are the issues which it has not been able to tackle at all," Bardhan said while speaking to a TV channel.Four years of UPA: Cong discuss publicity campaignAs the UPA completes four years in office, senior Congress leaders on Thursday held a brainstorming session on carrying out a publicity campaign across the country on the achievements of the Government in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. The meeting, attended by Congress office-bearers, including AICC Treasurer Motilal Vora, Future Challenges Group chairman M Veerappa Moily and party General Secretaries, including Rahul Gandhi, discussed the strategy on how to publicise the achievements of the UPA in tandem with the state units. "Publicity material, including publications in regional languages, will be prepared to take the achievements of the UPA Government to the people," a Congress General Secretary said. "Strategies will have to be worked out differently for different states. The issues that will be highlighted will also differ from state to state," the party leader said. Top on the list of the achievements to be highlighted are the Rs 60,000 crore farm loan waiver scheme and the UPA's flagship NREGA programme. "The state units of the party will be consulted. Central Ministers will be called to the states to hold seminars and participate in other publicity campaigns," the General Secretary said. "The meeting congratulated the Government on its achievements. Every year, the Government comes out with a report card of its performance. Of course, we have not seen it so far, but it will be taken to the party workers," AICC general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said.
