'Cong has left out key issues in poll manifesto'

The BJP accused Sonia Gandhi of remaining a mute spectator on contentious water sharing issue between Punjab and Haryana.

Accusing the Congress chief Sonia Gandhi of remaining a "mute spectator" on contentious water sharing issue between Punjab and Haryana, the BJP on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Congress for allegedly not touching several key issues including soaring prices of essential commodities in its election manifesto released on Monday.

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"The Congress in Haryana has lost its right to seek mandate from the electorate as the party's leadership had failed to get the Punjab's abrogation of water sharing agreement act repealed," BJP's Kisan Morcha General Secretary OP Dhankar told a press conference in Chandigarh.

Even Sonia Gandhi maintained stoic silence on the water sharing issue between the Punjab and Haryana, he said.

Charging the Congress with deliberately avoiding pertinent issues including price hike of LPG gas, sugar and shortage of urea in its manifesto, he ridiculed that the party failed to project any leader as prospective chief ministerial candidate in its poll manifesto.

"The election manifesto booklet of the Congress carried photograph of none of the leaders from the state," he said and added that "it is a serious issue."

Asserting that the plight of farmer was in a bad condition during the UPA regime, Dhankar said that over 3000 farmers had committed suicides in different parts of the country during the seven months rule of the present central government.