BJP attacks PM, Cong over U'khand calamity

BJP today criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for not addressing the nation for mobilising funds for relief work after the natural disaster struck Uttarakhand and accused Congress party of playing politics on the calamity.

The opposition party also suggested the setting up of a Commission for extracting the lessons learnt from such tragedies and on how to deal with them in future.

BJP also announced that its MLAs and MPs will donate their one month's salary each for the diaster relief fund and also help mobilise more resources and funds for relief work in the disaster-struck state.

Attacking the Prime Minister, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said "unfortunately, still the Prime Minister has not spoken to the country. He must speak to the nation. Every Prime Minister or President of the country speaks to its citizens when such a calamity happens. But now seven days on, he has not spoken. Because that will help, millions of hands will come up for help."

He said BJP wants the government should declare the Uttarakhand flood a national calamity.

Training his guns on Congress for its criticism of Narendra Modi, Javadekar said "unfortunately Congress is doing politics. Even in the discourse on such a tragedy, they have developed a Modi-phobia. So, even if Modi does good things, they see bad in it. Because they are scared, because of the popularity...Because of the response he is getting and because of the way they are losing."

He said while the nation stood united in its response to deal with the situation arising in the aftermath of the calamity, Chief Ministers were doing their bit at their own places and some by going there.

He said all BJP MPs and MLAs will donate their one months' salary and will also contribute from their MPLADS fund for reconstruction of the flood-affected state.