Sir — This refers to the article, “Nothing divisive about this manifesto” (April 9) by Rajesh Singh. When in 2004, India’s growth rate was 8.4 per cent, the Congress manifesto set a target of seven per cent. This showed its intellectual bankruptcy. The BJP, which had achieved this growth against the odds of economic sanctions and the Kargil War, had set a target of 10 per cent. But the people rejected the BJP in the 2004 election and the Congress was elected. The outcome is before us.
It is not just that the Congress failed to maintain growth. Within a few years of coming to power, the party-led ruling coalition could not contain galloping inflation even. Now, growth is down to 4.6 per cent and inflation remains high.