Gadkari mum on Yeddyurappa issue
PTI, PANAJI | 27 February 2012 19:59 IST
BJP president Nitin Gadkari on Monday refused to comment on BS Yeddyurappa's demand for reinstating him as Karnataka chief minister.
"It is not mandatory for me to answer all the questions," Gadkari said, when he was asked about the crisis in the party in Karnataka.
"Ask me questions on Goa. I will answer this when I am in Bangalore," he added. When he was asked whether the Karnataka crisis has become a 'headache' for the party, he answered "I don't get headaches. I can even sleep in a helicopter or an aeroplane. I don't need to carry tablets for headache."
Yeddyurappa, who was forced to resign more than six months ago after a Lokayukta report indicted him on illegal mining issue, had issued an ultimatum to his party saying he should be reinstated as the Chief Minister by the February 27, failing which he will decide his course of action.
Gadkari has already ruled out Yeddyurappa's return to the top post, despite the leader's pressure tactics.
He also came down heavily on theUPA government, alleging that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "does not deserve even 25 marks out of 100" for his performance on the economic front.
The economist-Prime Minister has "miserably failed" to control inflation,Gadkari said addressing a public meeting in Panaji ahead of the March 3 Assembly polls in Goa.
"Our economist-Prime Minister does not deserve even 25 marks out of 100 for managing the country's economy," he said.
The BJP chief alleged that Congress, heading the ruling coalition at the Centre, was misleading people on the issue of inflation.
Gadkari said the UPA government claims that inflation is everywhere. "But I have checked. Japan has zero per cent inflation. Countries like USA and China have only 3 per cent inflation. But in India the rate of inflation is 18 per cent."
Drawing a parallel between UPA and BJP-led NDA rule, he said the AtalBehari Vajpayee-led government gave a "corruption-free" administration.
He said UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has no right to point fingers at NDAgovernment, "which had not a single case of corruption during its tenure."
"In comparison, look at the 2G spectrum case. A scam of Rs1.76-lakh crore. This is CAG's figure not that of BJP. A Raja (former Telecom Minister and a2G case accused) says (then Finance Minister) P Chidambaram was also involved. We want to know why is he (Chidambaram) outside when Raja is in prison?" Gadkari asked.
On February 25, Gandhi had targeted BJP on the issue of black money.
