M Venkaiah Naidu alleges UPA's claim on poverty decline as diversionary tactic

Says the Plan Comm statement that poverty levels have been reduced during the UPA regime from 37.2 to 21.9% is a ploy

The UPA government is trying to divert people's attention away from its failures by claiming that poverty levels had come down, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu has alleged.

"The Planning Commission statement that poverty (levels) have been reduced during the UPA regime from 37.2 to 21.9% is a ploy by the ruling party to divert people's attention away from the massive failures, particularly on the economic and social front," Naidu told reporters here today.

"All reports, including World Bank studies, reveal that India is far behind in human development indices vis-a-vis Bangladesh, even sometimes Nepal, Sri Lanka and China," Naidu said.

"If that is the case, how can the government claim that poverty levels have come down and the people live on Rs 33 per day?" he asked.

The government needs to explain given that the Prime Minister is the Chairman of Planning Commission, he said.

There is a contradiction in the government's claims when it says that only 21% people are living below poverty line while it aims to provide food security to 67% of the population, he alleged.

"This is cheap propaganda before elections, unfortunately by Planning Commission at the behest of Congress," Naidu said.

BJP would forcefully raise the issue in the coming session of Parliament and also seek some amendments to the Food Security Bill.

The party would deliberate on the above bill on the eve of the Monsoon session of Parliament, which begins on August five, Naidu said.