UPA is the 'Ulta Pulta Alliance': BJP

"The dream of making India a developed nation by 2020 is withering away," said Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday.

As the United Progressive Alliance led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh completes three years in power, Singh alleged that it is 'faceless, directionless and spineless'.

He said that Dr Singh is the weakest prime minister the country has had.

Singh said that the Congress's allies and Left parties decide the government's agenda and even ministers are inducted in the Cabinet by the party leaders and not by the prime minister.

The latest example is the induction of a DMK minister in the Union Cabinet, he said, pointing out that Radhika Selvi's induction was announced first in Chennai and not by the PMO.

Singh said that in the UPA government ministers 'have their individual agenda'.

"The government is neither for the common man nor for the country but it works only for a vote bank," he said.

Without offering any substantial explanation, Singh said the UPA -- 'which is anti-farmer and anti-labour' -- will last only for 'a few days'.

He said that in last three years, the issue of national security, food security and India's nuclear sovereignty have been under crisis.

He pointed out that the price rise of commodities has been uncontrollable. He taunted Congress president Sonia Gandhi for merely 'writing a letter to the PM' complaining about this matter - "Prices cannot be controlled by writing letters. Are they not on talking terms?"

The BJP has published a booklet awkwardly titled UPA's three years - Aam admi's tear years, listing all the failures of the UPA government, dubbing it the 'Ulta Pulta Alliance'.

It was pointed out that the Telangana Rashtra Samiti has left the UPA and while the Congress is in alliance with the NCP in Delhi, they have serious differences in Maharashtra.

'Congress is losing state after state in spite of Mrs Gandhi touring during the election campaign. Her renunciation of power or so-called tyag nautankifailed to click and fool the people', the booklet states.

In the long list of scams of the government, BJP has listed Quattrocchi and the Bofors scam right at the top. It alleges that in spite of the red corner notice issued against him, Quattrocchi was 'allowed to withdraw Bofors money', which eventually weakened the case.

The Scorpene deal, which the BJP alleges is a bigger scam than Bofors, needs to be investigated better, the booklet states. The allegation is that 4 percent commission was paid for the deal worth Rs 18798 crore.

Apart from mentioning the publication of the Mitrokhin archives, the BJP has stressed on the Volcker Report, which involved former foreign minister Natwar Singh.

The BJP has asked that investigations be shifted from focussing on Singh to the Congress itself, since it was also named in the scam.

The SEZ ruckus, land-grabbing allegations in Singur and the Nandigram violence have also been listed.

Singh asked, "The prime minister has told the Indian army in Kashmir that there should be zero tolerance against violation of human rights. I want to ask Dr Singh what will his level of tolerance be against terrorism?

"It is easy to conclude that UPA government doesn't have the will power to fight terrorism. This government has abolished POTA without replacing it with another act, and this has strengthened terrorists' resolve."

Singh said he is against foreign direct investment in retail, since it is hitting small retailers hard.

He also spoke against the Indo-US nuclear deal which, he alleged, is going to affect India's credible nuclear deterrent and will 'force the government to surrender the sovereign right of the country to make nuclear weapons'.

He severely criticised reservation of any kind for Muslims, saying, "Poor people have no religion. You should not measure poverty on basis of religion. On what basis can the prime minister says that Muslims should have first stake on Indian resources?"

However, when asked about his party's debacle in the Uttar Pradesh elections, for which he has been getting brickbats, Singh retorted back, albeit meekly, that Congress has also not won for many years now.