UPA is 'lame duck' govt: Advani

Nagpur, June 19 (UNI) Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and senior BJP leader L K Advani has reiterated that the incumbent United Progressive Alliance (UPA) dispensation, now in power at the Centre, is a 'lame-duck' government.

Speaking at a book release function here today, Mr Advani said that nobody knew how long the government would survive. ''There is an air of uncertainty. There is one tale one day, another the next,'' he said.

Nobody knows, when the Lok Sabha polls would be held, some reports said they would be held before time, Mr Advani said.

''I said in August 2007 that the UPA was a lame-duck government.

It has been like that since,'' he said.

Mr Advani said that the responsibility of journalists has increased in this age of media. Accurate information and correct analysis of events are absolutely necessary, not only for democracy, but also for the country, the former deputy prime minister added.

In his speech, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarkaryavaha Mohan Bhagwat regretted that market forces and economic considerations are becoming dominant features in journalism than objectivity.

However, thankfully, there are a handful of scribes who still stick to the basic tenets of the profession, he said.

Earlier, Mr Advani released a book penned by New Delhi-based veteran journalist Ravindra Dani. The book, titled 'Delhi Durbar,' is a compilation of select articles written by Mr Dani in the column named 'Delhi Dinank' in local Marathi daily 'Tarun Bharat,' during a period of two decades. Mr Dani is now the daily's associate editor based in the capital.

BJP All India General Secretary Gopinath Munde and Maharashtra unit chief Nitin Gadkari were also present at the release function.

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