Bathinda: Castigating the Central Government for making several announcements ahead of the Lok Sabha polls to "collect votes", Congress president Sonia Gandhi today (Jan 15, 2004) said that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) did not have the courage to present the Budget as it would expose the reality.

"They (BJP-led NDA) are not presenting Budget as it will uncover the reality," she said addressing a State-level function to delegate more powers to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) under the 73rd Amendment of the Constitution.

"The Central Government has been making announcements each day. However, these are mere announcements. There is no Parliament meeting and no Budget," she said.

Sonia claimed that during the NDA regime only a few persons connected with the BJP may have benefitted but the problems of the poor and the common man had multiplied.

She said that the announcements were made by the BJP to misguide the people ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

"If the Centre was so keen to do something for farmers and poor then why not five years back," she questioned.

Charging the BJP with showing more concern to come back to power, Sonia alleged that there was no peace in the country and crime, unemployment and hunger had gone up.