Campaigning for the imminent assembly polls, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh Saturday took on Congress president Sonia Gandhi over the issue of providing stable government in Jharkhand.

'On Friday Sonia Gandhi talked about stable government. Is she joking? It was the Congress which prevented creation of separate (Jharkhand) state. It was the Atal Bihari Vaypayee government at the centre which cleared the bill for a separate Jharkhand. What is the contribution of the Congress in the state,' asked the BJP president while addressing a rally in Jamshedpur.

While addressing another rally in the coal city of Dhanbad Friday, Sonia Gandhi had said: 'Jharkhand was formed for development. The hopes of development got dashed due to political instability as the state witnessed five chief ministers in the last eight years. Vote for Congress for stable government.'

In this summer's Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won eight out of 14 Jharkhand seats and was ahead in 40 assembly segments. 'This shows the mind of the people of the state,' Rajnath Singh said in steel city Jamshedpur.

'Corruption will not be tolerated and the money looted from the people will be brought back,' he said at the rally, referring to the Rs.2,500-crore tax evasion charge being faced by former chief minister Madhu Koda, an independent legislator whose government was propped up by the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Rajnath Singh also criticised the central government -- headed by the Congress -- for the rise in food prices. 'Salt is a basic thing in food. The salt price has risen six to seven times under the present government. We promise to provide you salt at 25 paise a kg if the BJP is voted to power,' he said.

The five-phase assembly polls start Nov 25. Votes will be counted Dec 23.

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