UPA not keen on passing food, land bills: BJP

Countering the government's and Congress' allegations that the National Democratic Alliance has been an irresponsible and disruptive opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said the Manmohan Singh-led government is not keen on passing the Food Security Bill and the Land Acquisition Bill.

The main opposition also picked holes in the United Progressive Alliance's report card on its performance in the last four years and said it is making false claims of success. The BJP alleged that the report card does not stand scrutiny on figures, facts and statements made in the document.

"We want the Food Security and the Land Acquisition bills to be passed with certain amendments," BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi told reporters. He rubbished UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi's charge that the Opposition had frequently disrupted Parliament which had prevented the passage of important bills.

"Did this government not get the India-United States Civilian Nuclear Deal and the Foreign Direct Investment in multi-brand retail issues passed in Parliament despite our opposition to them. So why can they not get the Food Security and the Land Acquisition bills passed? The first two were matters of interest to them but these two bills are not," Trivedi said.

BJP alleged that though Congress has been in power for 56 years since independence, yet it has failed to provide food security to the people.

"Even today, two-thirds of the population of this country needs food security. Congress should apologise to the nation for this," Trivedi said.

He also refuted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's contention on Wednesday that when the Congress-led UPA came to power in 2004, it inherited a glass which was "half-empty".

The BJP cited GDP growth figures to claim that the glass was full to the brim in 2004 and the UPA is responsible for the dismal economic situation prevalent today.