Advani targets PM on Lokpal,questions 'conspiratorial silence'

New Delhi, Dec 31 : BJP leader L K Advani today hit out at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the Lokpal fiasco in Rajya Sabha, alleging that he had chosen "conspiratorial silence and acquiescence" while the government ran away from a vote on the Bill.

In a statement issued today, Advani said, "For the UPA government, 2011 was annus horribilis (horrible year). The Congress-led government found itself in the quagmire of one corruption scandal after another, each of which robbed it of its legitimacy to rule."

He insisted that the credibility of the government and its leadership "nosedived in direct proportion to the scale of the scandals" and the Prime Minister as well as Congress President Sonia Gandhi were engaged in "desperate acts of scapegoating" trying to ensure that bigger heads did not roll.

Advani also held Singh responsible to a great extent for the inconclusive Rajya Sabha debate on Lokpal Bill and the adjournment amid uproar.

"It (UPA government) exhibited arrogance, ineptitude and deceit in equal measure in dealing with the demand for a strong, independent and effective Lokpal. I, for one, am not in the least bit surprised that Year 2011 ended with the UPA government literally fleeing from vote in the Rajya Sabha on its own version of the Lok Sabha bill," he said.

The BJP leader charged that he had never seen a government invite such ignominy upon itself because of the "virtual evaporation of responsibility" on the part of the Prime Minister.

He maintained that Singh had chosen "conspiratorial silence and acquiescence" when India expected "honest, transparent leadership" from him.

Corruption is a serious problem that needs multi Corruption is a serious problem that needs multi dimensional response; Lokpal and Lokayuktas are important part of the solution, says Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

PTI