BJP, Cong spar over Sonia's remarks

Sonia Gandhi's comments that it has become "fashionable" these days to criticise the government, on Wednesday fuelled a controversy with BJP and Congress sniping at each other.

Sonia Gandhi's comments that it has become "fashionable" these days to criticise the government, on Wednesday fuelled a controversy with BJP and Congress sniping at each other.

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Taking strong objection to her remarks, BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad asked, "If your government does not perform, if prices are not contained, if there are rampant corruption, public money is looted with impunity, if there is declining industrial growth and overall sense of despair, are we not entitled to expose that... is it fashionable?...we will continue to expose it...it is not fashion but an obligation".

Rejecting BJP's criticism, Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said that Sonia Gandhi was right in what she said and the "Opposition has been criticising the government for the sake of criticism...BJP is in the habit of making baseless allegations against the government."

Alvi also referred to the scandals in the BJP-ruled Karnataka saying, "money is of course being looted but not at the Centre but in Karantaka. BJP should be careful before making such statements."

He also dismissed the contention of the Deputy Leader of BJP in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde that the recent defeat of the Congress in the Mumbai and Delhi local bodies elections shows that the people do not trust the party.

"Local bodies elections in two states do not decide the future of the government at the Centre," the Congress spokesperson said.

Regarding Prasad's insistence that it was the democratic right of the principle opposition to expose the deficiency and shortcoming of a government, Alvi said,"of course it is the right of Opposition but it should be positive criticism".