Don't fall into deceitful trap laid by Narendra Modi: Finance Minister Chidambaram tells voters

Alleging that BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was a "dictatorial Chief Minister", Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram today urged the voters "not to fall into the deceitful trap" laid by him. "Don't fall for his tall claim that he will do in 60 months what Congress could not do in 60 years," he said addressing voters here on the last day of campaigning for the April 24 Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu.

"One of Modi's ministers is in jail, the another is on bail and a third person was condemned by the Supreme court." "Even senior BJP leader A B Vajpayee had told Modi after the Godhra incident that he had violated 'Raj Dharma' and was unfit to rule and he should resign," Chidambaram claimed. He warned that BJP would close the MNREGA scheme which assured employment for the rural poor as it had been described by saffron party leader Yaswant Sinha as a "waste scheme".

It was the Congress that provided for reservation for the BCs, SCs and STs. Only after the Centre passed the Reservation Bill the backward classes people saw economic development. Earlier only a particular section of the people were working in the government sector, he said.

There was no mention about reservation in the BJP's manifesto. The DMK and AIADMK would compete with each other for compromising with BJP after the polls, he alleged.