Opposition launches scathing attack on the ruling coalition, post-MiD DAY report on Panchayati Raj ministry's office at a hotel

A day after MiD DAY exposed the truth behind the austerity measures of the UPA government in a report about how the Panchayati Raj ministry was operating out of a city five-star hotel, a united opposition launched attacks on the ruling coalition.

Terming the Congress-led UPA a "five-star government", BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the government resolves the problems of the 'aam-admi' by wasting the taxpayer's money.
"The fact that they run the Panchayati Raj ministry out of a five-star hotel shows how removed are they from the issues of the common man," he said.

"With the kind of money being spent, the Panchayati Raj ministry can construct its own building. The money that should be used for the progress of rural population and its empowerment, is being spent by the government on pomp and show," said Naqvi.

JD(U), another NDA ally, also reacted sharply to the report. "This reflects the mentality of the Congress party. There is huge difference between what the Congress claims and what it does for the common man," said JD(U) leader Arun Kumar, a former MP.