BJP drives wedge between UPA allies

Agencies

New Delhi: A BJP member today sought to drive a wedge between Congress and its allies by pointing out that the interim budget speech only contained references to the 'hand' and not about symbols of other parties in the UPA.

"Pranab Mukherjee said in his speech that the people will recognise the hand that made it possible. It seems the cycle (SP), the clock (NCP), the rising sun (DMK) and Laluji's lantern did not do anything for the common man, only Congress' hand did everything," BJP's Kharabela Swain said.

He said most of the states where farmers were committing suicide were being run by Congress or its UPA constituents. "We (NDA government) had left the country in a healthy economic state.

Now things are bad," he alleged. In an obvious reference to the election symbol of the ruling party, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said: "I have no doubt when the time comes, the people will recognise the hand that made it all possible.