Congress playing dangerous game on minority quota issue: Arun Jaitley

Accusing the Centre of trying to divert people's attention from major issues of corruption and development by offering reservation to minorities within OBC quota, BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Monday warned the Congress that it was playing a dangerous game.

Jaitley alleged that the Congress was dividing the country on communal lines for its petty political ends.

"They are trying to divert the attention people of Uttar Pradesh from the major poll issue of corruption and development and have started singing about social reservation for minorities out of OBC quota thus playing a dangerous game," he told reporters.

Jaitley termed the Akali-BJP government's five year tenure in Punjab as a golden period of the state, stressing that it was not a political alliance between the two parties but it a real social alliance at the grass root level.

Lashing out at the Congress leaders, he said that the performance of the Badal government in Punjab was a contrast with the non-performance of the UPA government at the Centre. "They can compare very easily," he said.

Jaitley favoured a strong Lokpal at the Centre and an equally strong Lokayukta in the states.

In reply to another question, he said that cracks have started appearing in the UPA which had raised a question mark over the life span of the government at the Centre.