Jalna: Launching a direct attack on the Maharashtra Government for "misleading" people on the assistance provided by Centre for dealing with drought in the State, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today (Apr 23, 2004) warned that "such lies will boomerang on the State Government at the time of Assembly elections".

Addressing a campaign meeting for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Raosaheb Danve, he said that the Maharashtra Government was lying to cover up its failure in dealing with the drought.

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"Maharashtra sarkar apni vifalta par parda dal kar Kendra sarkar ko bali ka bakra banane ki koshish kar rahi hai" (the Maharashtra Government is trying to make the Central Government a scapegoat for its failure), he added.

Denying any step-motherly treatment in giving financial assistance to Maharashtra to deal with the drought, the Prime Minister dwelt at length on the type of assistance, which the Centre had extended to the State in the form of cash and food grains.