Manmohan Singh has gone from being 'arthashastri' to 'anarthshastri': BJP

Calling Manmohan Singh-led UPA government “ a sinking ship”, BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday gave a new epithet to Singh from being a ‘arthashastri’ (economist) to ‘anarthshastri’ (the man of doom).

In his inaugural address at the party’s national executive at Surajkund near here, Gadkari also expressed doubt whether the Congress-led UPA would complete its five-year term in office. “Elections can be held any time. It is doubtful whether this government will complete its term,” he said.  The main points of Gadkari’s address were narrated to the media by party’s chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Gadkari has set the anti-government tone of the principal opposition party’s meeting before the assembly elections due at the end of the year, in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, and in 2013. He accused the UPA of creating a new benchmark in institutionalising of corruption, “marketisation of coalition” and subjecting “every coalition arrangement is subject to market mechanism” and described the CBI as “the instrument of management”.
Gakdari further declared the “mantra of economy with environment, ecology and ethics,” as the party’s theme song in the electoral battle with the UPA.
Meanwhile, the BJP national executive in the afternoon debated the economic resolution, and decided to pinpoint the “weak defence” the prime minister put up in the televised address to the nation on the recent economic decisions. “The 1991 economic crisis was the handiwork of the Congress, and so is the present economic crisis because the Congress has been in power for the last eight-and-a-half years.”
Briefing media on the deliberations, party spokesman Prakash Javadekar said it was noted that the prime minister referred to 1991 thrice in 12 minutes.
He also asserted that the party is opposed to FDI in multi-brand retail in principle.
The BJP has tried to distinguish its stance over FDI from that of the Left parties. While the Left is opposed to FDI per se, the BJP is open to the idea of FDI in some areas and not in others. It was pointed out that FDI in single brand retail was a BJP idea because it allowed the sale of luxury brands which was available to people who wanted it. As FDI in multi-brand retail affected the whole retail trade in the country, it was opposed to it.
r_parsa@dnaindia.net