Venkiah urges EC to disqualify Sonia

Guwahati, Mar 22: The BJP today intensified its demand for UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha for holding an office of profit.

Former party president Venkiah Naidu, while talking to reporters here, urged the Election Commission to immediate disqualify Ms Gandhi from her Lok Sabha membership as it had been done in the case of Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachhan.

He flayed the Congress for maintaining ''double standards'' in this regard. The party had already sought Presidential intervention for the sudden adjournement of Parliement.

According to Mr Naidu, Parliament was adjourned to protect some top leaders of the UPA.

Mr Naidu alleged that the alliance partners in the UPA government were losing confidence in the Congress leadership and this was manifested in the rising number of parties distancing themselves from the Congress.

Calling the UPA government ''teethering and withering'', he said mid-term general election could not be ruled out and a clearer picture would be available once elections in the five states were over.

Asom, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerela and Pondicherry are going to polls beginning April in a phased manner.

He was in the state to address a host of election rallies.

UNI