New Delhi: Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre for not taking action against Pakistan for the terrorist attack on Parliament, Congress on January 19 questioned the rationale behind the massive troop deployment at the border, which cost the state exchequer a whopping Rs 700 crore.

"Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had assured the country after the attack on Parliament that a decisive battle would be fought, but instead, after a 10-month deployment the troops were called back. The government incurred a huge expenditure which has to be ultimately borne by the poor," Congress general secretary Ambika Soni said at a rally.

Charging the Prime Minister with not keeping his promise, she said, "Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had the grit and courage to attack Pakistan and she succeeded."

Soni accused the Vajpayee government of "deceiving the nation by failing to deliver".

PTI