NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday alleged that the Cabinet Ministers of the UPA allies were unhappy with the Manmohan Singh-led central government.
Referring to a letter of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to the Prime Minister, saying that the “government’s policies were hurting farmers”, the BJP said Pawar was apparently unhappy with curbs on milk, cotton and sugar exports.
The BJP’s ire against the government first surfaced in a tweet by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
“The UPA ignores our repeated pleas against anti-farmer policies. Wonder if they will respond to their own Agriculture Minister,” tweeted Modi, with a link to an article about Pawar’s letter to the Prime Minister.
Later, central BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman joined Modi in taking on the government on the issue.
“The decision-making of this government is puzzling even the Cabinet Ministers. Cabinet Ministers are unhappy with their own government,” said Sitharaman.
“Not only is the government showing signs of policy paralysis, but also taking decisions which are making its own ministers unhappy,” she added.
She said that lack of timely decisions in consultation with its ministers was hurting governance.
“Whatever policies it is following are anti-poor,” she added.
Sitharaman also referred to recent pronouncements of Trinamool ministers that had embarrassed the government. Referring to a proposal in the Union Budget which seeks to deduct 1 per cent TDS on transactions on immovable properties, Sitharaman said it would affect the federal structure, as the Income Tax Department will also have a role in it.
“Besides, it will delay the collection of stamp duty by the states as parties involved in a transaction will have to first satisfy the queries of IT Department and then the land revenue officials before finalising the deal,” she said.