New Delhi: with an eye on votes ahead of Punjab assembly elections, former prime minister A B Vajpayee on Saturday accused Congress of raking up "a bogey of terrorism".
While addressing his first election rally in Punjab, Vajpayee also found fault with the government on a variety of issues including the sharp increase in prices of essential commodities to farmer suicides to development in the state.
"Terrorism is in Kashmir, in Assam, but why are they (Congress) trying to raise a bogey of terrorism here. Talking about terrorism during election time is only with an eye over votes," PTI quoted Vajpayee as saying during his nearly 15-minute speech.
Attacking the government on the price rise, the former prime minister said, "India is on the path of progress, but sky-rocketing prices of essential had broken the back of common man".
Earlier this week in their elections speeches, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had asked the people not to allow terrorism to rear its head again in the state.
Vehemently arguing for the BJP-SAD combine to capture power, Vajpayee asked people to ponder over the situation which the state today found itself in.
"You vote for us and we will change Punjab's and the country's picture and destiny," he said.
Indicating towards inclement weather, which prevailed in many parts of Punjab, Vajpayee looking at the sun emerge out of dark clouds in Amritsar, said, "mausam badal rahan hein, Punjab ka mausam bhi badlein ga (weather is changing, weather of Punjab will also change)".
"What is the condition of Punjab today. I have been pained to learn about the farmers committing suicides," Vajayee, who tried to find an emotional chord with the electorate, said.
Vajpayee alleged that while some states, where farmers had committed suicides got central help, Punjab never got any such helping hand as "the number of suicides by farmers in the state is far less".
"Should we wait for more farmers to commit suicide before helping them," he asked.
Amritsar is witnessing bypolls of Lok Sabha, in which BJP's star leader Navjot Singh Sidhu is taking on Congress' Surinder Singla.
Asking people to vote out the Congress, he said, "Punjab will see a change and when our alliance comes to power, we will bring a check in the rising prices".
Targeting the Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Government, Vajpayee said, "I was reading in a newspaper that there is a village Masoi, which is just 10 km away from (state capital) Chandigarh and does not even have roads, electricity, water connections and lacks in other basic facilities".
"One can imagine if this is the condition of a village near Chandigarh, I am sure there will be many more villages which must be totally neglected. I have also come to know that there are schools where students study under a tree because their schools have no roof and there are hospitals without doctors or nurses," he said.
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