Bhopal: Accusing Congress governments in Madhya Pradesh and elsewhere of not delivering the goods on development front, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on October 19 said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should be voted back to power there so that these states and the Centre work "in tandem" for meaningful progress.

Kick-starting BJP's campaign for December 1 Assembly polls in the state at a women' s rally in Bhopal, Vajpayee said, "The country has taken giant strides on the path to progress but the pace is still slow because of dismal show by Congress-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh."

There are mountains of food grains in granaries of the country and foreign exchange reserve is at its peak but all achievements made by Centre are going in vain because of "lack of co-operation and co- ordination by states like Madhya Pradesh", he said.

The Prime Minister said achievements made by the Centre would bear fruits if BJP is given power in states to work "in tandem", he said.

Hitting out at Digvijay Singh government for failing to lift Madhya Pradesh from 'BIMARU' (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh) status due to its "inefficiency", he said, "I am worried about situation here, How long the state will remain BIMARU?"

He said there are abundant resources in the state but these are not being harnessed.

He alleged Madhya Pradesh had the dubious distinction of topping the number of rape cases and other atrocities against women.

Vajpayee charged, atrocities on dalits, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes were on the rise in Madhya Pradesh and various schemes launched by the Centre for the elevation of their status in society have become "meaningless" due to "lack of seriousness" on the part of states to implement them.

"We cannot remain silent spectators to these atrocities. It is for the people of the state to decide. The coming elections will give them an opportunity to ensure a new beginning. What could not be achieved in the past ten years can be achieved in the next five years", he said.

If the BJP-led government at the Centre can succeed in many areas because of its sincere efforts, the states should not lag behind provided they have the right government to translate development plans and welfare schemes into action, he said.

Slamming the state government for failing to initiate effective reforms in the power sector and check electricity theft, the Prime Minister said despite Centre's help and assistance in stepping up power generation, states are not able to overcome shortage due to mismanagement.

Though road communication holds the key to development and prosperity, Madhya Pradesh government has neglected this sector causing sluggishness in trade and business, he claimed and said issues pertaining to development should be central to the entire electioneering.

PTI