By IANS,
New Delhi : Opposition parties Wednesday said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s report card on the first year of its second term did not adequately address price rise and internal security issues.
The “Report to People 2009-10” marking a year in office of UPA-II was released Tuesday by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the performance of the government in the year reeked of “corruption, conspiracy, contradiction and compromise.”
He said while the government had not been able to answer allegations related to the 2G spectrum auction scam, “it had pressurised the Central Bureau of Investigation in cases faced by vulnerable political leaders.”
He said that there was confusion within the government on its anti-Maoist policy as Congress leaders had spoken in different voices on the issue.
“The only achievement of the government is that it is surviving,” Naqvi told IANS.
He said that the government had failed to provide relief to the common man by checking price rise despite claims of record agricultural production.
The BJP leader said that the ground reality about social sector initiatives of the government was different from its claims.
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Nilotpal Basu said that compared to UPA-I, the UPA-II has not been able to achieve its aims as there is no common minimum programme.
He said the Left had tried to influence the social sector legislations of UPA-I when it provided outside support to the government.
“The agriculture situation is grim though 65 percent of the country’s population depends on it. There is no significant initiative for the unorganised sector workers. In the field of education, the thrust is towards privatisation and commercialisation,” Basu said.
He said that the “internal security situation was very bad.”
“There is a long way to go in ensuring effective coordination between the states and the central government to tackle Maoist violence,” he said.
Basu said the situation was “quite dismal” on the price front as the government has not been able to check rise in cost of essential commodities.
Congress spokesman Mohan Prakash said the UPA report card reflected party president Sonia Gandhi’s commitment to accountability in governance. “That’s why the government has come out with a report card in the first year though the promises have been made for five years,” he said.
He said that agricultural production has risen, exports have increased and many more avenues of employment have been created.
“The Right to Education has been implemented. The government’s measures for social security and rural development are progressing well. It’s a successful one year in office,” he said.