Ahmedabad: Criticising the BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party) "communal agenda", veteran Congress leader Dr Manmohan Singh today (Apr 10, 2004) said that the saffron party is dividing the people on "communal grounds" and "had used Gujarat as a laboratory two years ago".

Elections 2004-The Drama unfolds...

"The BJP has failed to eradicate 'bhay, bhookh aur brashtachar' (fear, hunger and corruption) and Gujarat is an example of how unsafe the people here have been for the past two years under their regime and it should not be replicated in other parts of the country," Singh, the former Finance Minister alleged while addressing mediapersons. Voicing serious concern about the dip in the national growth rate, the renowned economist said, "The growth rate under the six years of BJP rule has been only 5.5 per cent, unlike big claims by the current Finance Minister. The proof of this is that not a single senior economist from the country has agreed with the BJP's figures."