Joshi fires broadside at Pratibha

Raipur, July 8 (UNI) Training guns at UPA presidential candidate Pratibha Patil, BJP leader and former union minister Murli Manohar Joshi today said elevating a person who could ''not take independent decisions'' would be perilous.

''History is witness that the tenures of presidents who could not take independent decisions led to measures -- such as imposition of Emergency -- that throttled democracy,'' he said without naming Ms Patil at a press conference. Dr Joshi is on a visit here to drum up support for NDA nominee Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.

Pointing out that for the first time severe allegations were being levelled at a presidential candidate, Dr Joshi said an attempt was being made to cover them up.

UNI