Advani is a liar: Digvijay

Ujjain, MP, May 3 (UNI) Describing the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani as a person who indulged in lying at the drop of a hat, Congress General Secretary and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh today said that ex-premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee was much more reliable in the context of Indian masses.

''Mr Advani can never prove reliable for this country. He praised (Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali) Jinnah during his Pakistan visit and expressed regret for the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya. At 82, Mr Advani's memory has become weak and he needs rest,'' Mr Singh told mediapersons here.

Claiming that Mr Advani's statement of being unaware about the release of terrorists during the IC-814 hijack -- despite being the then Union home minister -- proved the point, the Congress leader added that the people trusted Mr Vajpayee to a far greater extent.

''Leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad want to take control of this state's mutts and temples by using the BJP regime as a medium. A committee has been formed for drafting a strategy in this regard. The Congress will oppose any such action as mutts, temples, gurdwaras, churches, mosques and other places of worship should be free from politics,'' Mr Singh felt.

UNI XC-AC 1643