BJP on PM, Pranab rift

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged strained ties between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, along with differences in their handling the finance portfolio, had resulted in policy paralysis in the government. Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said, “It seems Pranab Mukherjee was made the presidential candidate because he was not listening to the suggestions of the prime minister…Political and economic stability are closely related. If there is no political stability in the Union government, will the economy be stable?”