'BJP revives anti-Congressism through Prez poll'

New Delhi, June 28: The Congress Party today alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) was trying to use the Presidential election to revive itself and also its anti-Congressism.

"The BJP is not only using the July 19 election to revive itself but also plain anti-Congressism of its old Jan Sangh days, based on confrontation and direct assault on institutions of democracy," AICC Spokesman Devender Dwivedi told mediapersons, adding that it was a threat to representative democracy.

Taking a dig at the BJP for levelling baseless and "unsubstantiated" allegations against UPA-Left Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil, he said the BJP would not be able to accept empowerment of women at the top level. "Our democracy is shown in poor light, the way Pratibha Patil is maligned." He said the BJP could not reconcile to its defeat in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. "They first targetted Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Now their target is Pratibha Patil." Mr Dwivedi said the major opposition party called Dr Manmohan Singh as a "shadow Prime Minister," but they had not allowed passage of the Union Budget with full debate even once since 2004.

Criticising Leader of Opposition L K Advani for his reference of Ms Patil as a "tainted candidate," he wondered how he could make such a statement by sitting in the midst of tainted colleagues.

In this context, he said the BJP was the first political party whose president was caught on camera while taking bribe. The BJP-led NDA government was the only dispensation in the country under which its Defence Minister's house had free access to all arms dealers.

Asked about Prime Minister Singh's statement defending Ms Patil and saying that there was no content in allegations of financial irregularities levelled against her, Mr Dwivedi stated "the Prime Minister said it with utmost responsibility." "He is the Chief Executive. He is sure about facts," he added.

UNI