Congress says it's best equipped to deal with terror, recession

The Congress accused the BJP of being a divisive force, termed the "so-called" Third Front as a "recipe for chaos" and sought to pitch itself as the party best equipped to deal "decisively" with the challenges of terrorism and "severe recession".

Ridiculing the BJP's "muscular" foreign policy to deal with terror, the Congress said the country required an "intelligent and wise" policy as practiced by the UPA government over the last five years.

The party manifesto released by prime minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi took credit for the "forceful diplomatic campaign" in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks which led to Pakistan admitting for the first time that its nationals carried out the terror strikes.

"That admission was a notable victory for our well thought out foreign policy," it said.

The party termed the Third Front as a grouping of "opportunistic parties" which has "neither competence nor commitment" and is "grounded in the politics of convenience".

Seeking to position itself as a bulwark against communalism, linguistic chauvinism, regional parochialism and casteism, the Congress termed the contest with the BJP as a "clash between two competing visions of Indian nationalism.

Attacking the Left parties, particularly for their stand on the Indo-US nuclear deal, Congress lashed out at their attempts to "exercise authority without taking on any responsiblity."

"At every step, they violated the discipline, restraint, sobriety so very essential for running a coalition smoothly," the manifesto said about the Left parties who supported the UPA government for over four years.

The manifesto, drafted by a team of leaders headed by external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, also claimed that the Left parties, which "pride themselves on being secular", had actively aligned with the BJP in the past and were "responsible" for the growth of the saffron party.
    
The Congress termed the Third Front, led by "prime movers" Left Front, as a recipe for political instability as
it lacked a "national anchor". "It is a recipe for chaos, not cohesion," the manifesto said.
    
It sought to pat itself for striking a "balance" in policies in building a modern economy and imparting a new thrust to traditional industries, which is standing the country in good stead as the world experiences a severe recession."
    
It contended that the economy has showed considerable resilience due to the policies of successive Congress governments -- the vibrant public sector nurtured by Jawaharlal Nehru, government ownership of banks, a legacy of Indira Gandhi and strong private sector that matured and flowered during the tenure of Rajiv Gandhi and thereafter.