Inter-linking of rivers would be disastrous

Asked about the similarity of views expressed by him and Rahul,Singhal said: His father Rajiv Gandhi,too,had launched a Rs 1,500-crore Ganga Action Plan. Nothing came out of it.

Singhal cited the works of river expert U K Chaudhary to argue his case,but refused to comment on why he did not oppose the idea during the NDA rule.

The inter-linking of rivers was touted as one of the flagship programmes by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government. It was endorsed,among others,by the DMK then an NDA constituent,as also former President A P J Abdul Kalam.

Others like Magsaysay Award winner and water activist Rajendra Singh had argued against the idea.

Singhal also said that he had never asked BJP leader L K Advani to quit his position as Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and that these stories were being spread to create a rift between the two leaders.