Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

BJP: What'll be flavour of UPA dinner without allies?

Last updated on: May 22, 2012 15:23 IST
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee (left) and DMK supremo M Karunanidhi's (right) refusal to participate in UPA's 3rd anniversary dinner has drawn flak from BJP

As United Progressive Alliance completes three years in office, opposition Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday claimed the government may fall anytime as coalition partners were unhappy and were not even ready to break bread together.

Chiefs of major UPA allies, M Karunanidhi and Mamata Banerjee, of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Trinamool Congress, respectively, have said they won't attend the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to mark UPA II's third anniversary in Delhi on Tuesday.

Although DMK has not given any particular reason behind its supremo opting out of the dinner, Trinamool MP and Union Railway Minister Mukul Roy has said his party chief is preoccupied with matters in West Bengal.

Please click NEXT to read further...

 

'Three years of UPA regime will be written in black letters'

Last updated on: May 22, 2012 15:23 IST
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain claimed allies are not happy with the UPA government.

During a discussion on the issue at the party's Parliamentary Party meeting in New Delhi, BJP while referring to Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee's refusal to attend the dinner, said the three years of UPA regime would be written in "black letters."

"Its allies are not happy with it. A leader of the ally party does not even want to eat food together. You can imagine the state of affairs... The UPA is not even in a position of eating snacks.

"I wonder what would be the flavour of the dinner hosted to celebrate the three years of completion of government," said BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain after the party's meeting.

He said, "The completion of three years of UPA regime will be written in black letters."

'This government can fall anytime'

Last updated on: May 22, 2012 15:23 IST
Hussain said that the government (led by PM Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi) can fall anytime.

Hussain said, "This government can anytime...(fall). The government claims to have a total majority of 272, but the actual figure seems 227 as even its allies are not happy with it."

The party also discussed the "failures" of the present regime, he said. Party leader L K Advani patted the back of BJP MPs for their good performance during the Budget Session of Parliament, he said.

"The party has been able to put the government on the  backfoot on many occasions during the current session," said Hussain.

TOP photo features of the week

Last updated on: May 22, 2012 15:23 IST

Click on MORE to see another set of PHOTO features...

© Copyright 2024 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.