Congress steps up attack against Shekhawat, Advani

New Delhi, July 16 (UNI) With just two days left for the Presidential poll, the Congress today stepped up its attack against BJP-sponsored "independent" candidate and Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha L K Advani, alleging that they had "misconducted" themselves in their present offices and thereby devalued these posts.

""Two pillars of democracy's institutional edifice, the offices of the Vice President and of the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, stand damaged and denigrated due to the conduct of the present incumbents," AICC Spokesman Devendra Dwivedi told mediapersons.

He said Mr Shekhawat filed his nomination as an independent candidate and continued to hold the office of the Vice President on the ground that his predecessors who contested had not resigned.

In this context, he reminded Mr Shekhawat that none of his predecessors had been a party to a controversial election nor had embarrassing facts about their past had surfaced during the elections.

"Besides, Mr Shekhawat cannot dissociate himself from the most outrageous and low-level campaign that was launched on his behalf against UPA-Left candidate Pratibha Patil," Mr Dwivedi said, adding that "In retrospect, his independent status looks farcical and his continuance as Vice President has devalued the office." Saying that Mr Advani had dealt a "body blow" to the office of the Leader of Opposition through his conduct during the presidential campaign, he alleged that he had led and masterminded a "highly vicious and malignant campaign based on falsification and distortion of facts and character assassination aimed at devalution of the electoral process." "The Leader of Opposition is supposed to be one of the two wheels of Parliamentary chariot." Mr Dwivedi criticised Mr Advani for writing a letter to the Congress MPs and MLAs in which he had made "disparaging comments about the Prime Minister and even dragged the name of Congress President Sonia Gandhi." "The letter was a case of rare audacity and political impropriety amounting to political sacrilege. The language used was uncivil, defamatory and devoid of political decency," he said, pointing out that the letter had brought Government-Opposition and party-to-party relationship to their lowest ebb.

In this context, he said the recent conduct of Mr Advani was "in tune with his role during the past three years as Leader of Opposition." Alleging that Mr Advani never discharged his responsibility to ensure smooth conduct of the business of the Lower House, Mr Dwivedi said he had been "instrumental in subverting parliamentary system from within and a democratic process from without." UNI