BJP pulls up Congress, says 'nation not going to tolerate UPA anymore'

Launching a frontal attack on the ruling Congress Party after Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh inducted eight new faces in his Council of Minister, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday said the UPA Government at the Centre will be thrown out of power in the next four to five months.

BJP Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who was commenting on Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's remark that the UPA will get a third term, mockingly said the nation would not bear the ruling alliance for more than four months.

"Whatever you want to do, complete it in the next four months because after that the people are not going to bare you. Hence, talks of things like UPA-III and UPA-IV are like building castles in the air. Today there is a strong statement of throwing out the Congress," he said.

Naqvi further said it is time for the Congress Party to go or else the people of the country would very soon throw them out of power.

The Prime Minister earlier in the day said the Congress-led UPA Government will get a third term.

"I have always believed that we will have a third go as U P A and the people will again repose their faith in us," Dr. Singh said on Twitter.

The Prime Minister's comment came shortly after he inducted eight new faces in the Council of Ministers.

In perhaps the last reshuffle and expansion of the Union Council of Ministers, Mallikarjun Kharge was made the Railways Minister, as eight more were inducted with veterans Sis Ram Ola and Oscar Fernandes making a comeback.

After Sunday's reshuffle in the party, senior woman leader from election-bound Rajasthan Girija Vyas and K S Rao from Andhra Pradesh were brought in as Cabinet Ministers in Monday's exercise.

Three new faces-Santosh Chowdhary, J D Seelam and E N S Natchiappan were made Ministers of State along with veteran Maharashtra leader Manikrao Gavit.

With the fresh inductions, the strength of the Union Council of Ministers has gone up to 77.

The oath of office and secrecy to the new ministers was administered by President Pranab Mukherjee at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.