New Delhi: Reacting to Rahul Gandhi`s
statement that he was against the erstwhile NDA government`s
idea of interlinking of rivers, BJP on Thursday said the Congress
leader was "opposing for the sake of opposing" and suggested
he should do some research before arriving at a conclusion.
"Interlinking of rivers was a revolutionary step initiated
by the NDA government. The Congress General Secretary seems to
be following the culture of opposing for the sake of
opposing," BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy said.
BJP-led NDA government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee had mooted
the idea of interlinking of rivers to deal with the problem of
drought and floods afflicting different parts of the country
at the same time. The programme aims at equitable distribution
of water throughout the country to solve issues of irrigation
and drinking water as well, Rudy said.
The BJP MP suggested that Gandhi should do some research
on the interlinking of rivers and its benefits and then arrive
at a conclusion.
In an interaction with the press in Chennai earlier today,
Gandhi had said he was opposed to interlinking of rivers as it
would have "severe" environmental implications. "It is a
disastrous idea. It is an idea that will be extremely
dangerous to the environment of the country," he said.
Rudy also said the UPA government had adopted a lukewarm
attitude towards another NDA programme -- the Golden
Quadrilateral -- under which the four metros were to be
connected directly through road to boost traffic and trade.
Bureau Report
