Dismissing the Opposition charge that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was “weak”, Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday asserted he was “very much alert and proactive” to all issues including corruption.
“The Prime Minister is very much alert and proactive. He is taking appropriate action,” Mukherjee told reporters here after releasing the Congress manifesto for the April 13 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls.
Responding to queries on AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa’s charge that Dr Singh was a “week-kneed” prime minister, which also is a constant refrain of the Opposition, he said, “It is not correct.”
On poll-bound Tamil Nadu, Mr Mukherjee said the state’s financial position was good and sought voters’ support for the DMK-led alliance to come back to power in order to bring in more investments and better economic development.
Asked if the party would press for cabinet berths in case the combine won, he said, “We will cross the bridge when it comes, i.e, during government formation. The immediate priority was to ensure a majority.”
He said there was smooth cooperation between the DMK and Congress but “friction” were bound to exist in a multi-party democracy.
The Congress and DMK had to recently undergo testing times following a roadblock in seat-sharing talks which was solved after much drama including the DMK offering to quit the Union cabinet.
Quoting statistics, Mr Mukherjee said central fund allocation to Tamil Nadu has been on the increase and there would be “no dearth” of cooperation in the coming years too.
Addressing an election rally at Karikalambakkam village in Puducherry, Mr Mukherjee said Puducherry was far ahead of the national average and other states including Tamil Nadu in GDP growth.
The rate of GDP growth in Puducherry was 14 per cent while it was 8.5 per cent at the national level, he said, asking the electorate to vote for the Congress and its allies again.
“What a welfare state should do for the people has been accomplished by the Puducherry government and hence the Congress and its allies should be elected once again to power in Puducherry,” he said.
Mr Mukherjee highlighted provisions of the poll manifesto released by Puducherry PCC recently.
With the formulation of several tourism projects and proposal to set up one Special Economic Zone each in Puducherry and Karaikal, the Congress election manifesto said that one member in each family would be provided employment could be easily achieved.
The UPA government was working for the protection and privileges of the poorer sections and also of those in the lowest strata of society, Mukherjee said.
Puducherry Chief Minister V. Vaithilingam and Union minister V. Narayanasamy were among those present at the meet.