Venkaiah verdict: CMP outdated

V.P. Singh commends ‘inclusive’ CMP

Former prime minister V.P. Singh on Friday commended the UPA Government for an ‘‘inclusive’’ CMP, castigating the BJP for its duplicity and hypocrisy. ‘‘The CMP is a perfect marriage between efficiency of market with sensitivities of a welfare state,’’ he said. He added, ‘‘If L.K. Advani was looking for reasons why the ‘feelgood’ campaign didn’t work, he would find answers in CMP.’’

While the UPA CMP stresses investments and reforms in the market, it also pledges total commitment to those sections left out by the BJP—farmers, labourers, unemployed youth and other marginalised sections of society, he said.

Singh also condemned Advani’s pledge to bring Hindutva back into the political fold. He also appealed to the NDA allies to do a rethink on realigning with the BJP. ‘‘The BJP used to boast once that the Congress was completely isolated, but today, not a single NDA ally has come out in its support. I have called up the TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu to request him to keep his options open on. It is important to have secular parties occupying the Opposition too.”