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| Anti-incumbency, inflation did us in: Digvijay Singh | | | NEW DELHI, MAR 10
Reeling under the twin Assembly poll setbacks, Congress today admitted that anti-incumbency against sitting MLAs and to a certain extent the Centre's failure to rein in price rise led to its downfall in Punjab and Uttarakhand.
Party General Secretary Digvijay Singh said inflation was definitely a matter of concern for the party and sought to put the onus of bringing down prices on the state governments as well.
"Anti-incumbency is a major factor in Indian politics today. Not only against the governments but there is anti- incumbency against incumbent legislators as well," he said in an interview on CNN-IBN's Devil's Advocate programme.
In urban areas of Punjab the party "could not change the candidates", Singh said and made a candid admission that in certain constituencies the party got it wrong in selecting its nominees.
"Selection of candidates is always a very tricky and very difficult issue," he said, adding that Congress was not at all threatened by the verdict and exuded confidence that it will retain power at the Centre in 2009.
Asked whether the Manmohan Singh Government's failure to tackle inflation was a reason for Congress defeat, he said "to some extent may be yes" but quickly added that the Centre was taking all measures to check price rise.
Defending the Union government, he said price rise was not a new phenomenon and it was there during the NDA government's regime as well when the inflation graph had remained over eight per cent for several weeks.
"The difference is that the previous government did not take adequate measures to contain it. We have come with specific steps (to check it)," he said and added that state governments also have the responsibility to check price rise.
Singh said the Congress party was concerned about economic issues like inflation and rehabilitation of SEZ oustees and has been conveying these to the government from time to time.
"The Working Committee met twice and showed the concern. The government has acted and the results are showing... We are satisfied," he said when asked specifically whether the party was happy with the government's performance.
Singh also strongly denied allegations that the government and the CBI consciously kept under the wraps information about Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi's detention in Argentina.
"The government did not sit over it. It responded immediately. It made the issue public. The Minister in Rajya Sabha came out with specific details (of the arrest)," he said and accused the media and opposition of hyping the issue.
He claimed the CBI did not wait for even an hour and it responded immediately. "The NDA had six years to implicate Quattrocchi. My government responded the minute it came to know (about his detention)," he said.
Singh also rubbished reports that Priyanka Vadra and Rahul Gandhi met with Quattrocchi's son Massimo here in February describing them as "totally speculative" and denied Congress chief Sonia Gandhi having any direct or indirect contacts with the Italian businessman.
"It is in the interest of the country, CBI, Congress and everyone that we successfully bring him back," he added. |
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