Delhi: BJP activists protest against UPA at Janpath

New Delhi: The BJP on Thursday protested against the Congress-led UPA government and its policies in New Delhi. Members of BJP Yuva Morcha under the leadership of Anurag Thakur protested and shouted slogans at Janpath against the UPA. The Delhi Police tried to stop the protests and used water cannons on the BJP activists.

They were stopped by the police from marching to the Congress headquarters who also put up barricades to disrupt their protests. Thakur and about 100 BJP activists were taken into custody, but later let off.

On Wednesday the BJP had termed the UPA's report card as a "non-report card" that hid all the scams and revealed only what was convenient to the ruling dispensation. The Opposition party also lashed out at the UPA for "blaming it for its own failures".

"The UPA's report card is a non report card. It hides all the scams and reveals only the convenient. More importantly, Congress is now blaming BJP for its own failures," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said. Reacting to the Congress' criticism of BJP stalling passage of important legislations like the Food Security Bill, he said BJP has already enacted first Food Security Act in Chhattisgarh which is more inclusive than the UPA proposal.

"We want to ask why UPA did not bring this bill for the last nine years and waited for so long," he wondered on the long delay in bringing the Food Security Bill and then blaming the Opposition party for stalling it.

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had come down heavily on BJP for disrupting Parliament proceedings and preventing crucial legislations from being passed.

"I cannot hide my deep sense of disappointment over the manner in which Parliamentary proceedings have been disrupted by the principal Opposition party," Gandhi said at a function to mark four years of UPA-II rule.

"We are disappointed that we have not been able to get crucial legislations enacted entirely because of this obstructionist approach (of BJP)," she said. Gandhi also made a "fervent plea" to the NDA and other Opposition parties to come together and clear the passage of the Food Security and the Land Acquisition bills, saying these were "non-partisan" issues affecting the lives of millions of people.

(With additional information from PTI)