PMO has become a political bargain counter: BJP

Patna, Jul 19 (UNI) The BJP today charged the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) with becoming a ''political bargain counter'' and alleged that it was promoting 'horse-trading' prior to July 22 trust vote.

BJP national spokesperson and former Union Minister Ravishankar Prasad talking to mediaperson here alleged that the UPA government was all set to compromise for saving its ''life'', contrary to the stand taken by the former prime ministers on earlier occasions.

Citing examples, he said the Morarji Desai government lost in 1979 without making any compromise and similarly the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was lost just by one vote in 1998, as it too did not compromise with the prevailing situation.

Mr Prasad said the PMO these days was forced to become an ''arbitrator in corporate dispute'' and in such a situation ''sooner it goes the better''.

He further alleged that the UPA government had also committed the biggest fraud with the interest of ''Aam Admi'' the commonman.

Describing the secular-communal divide in the country as a ''farce,'' he cited the examples of Rajiv Gandhi's support to the BJP and the nomination of Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee by the BJP as the cases in point.

''Did Mr Gandhi become communal when he voted with the BJP to defeat the then V P Singh government in 1990, or did Mr Chatterjee become communal when Mr Vajpayee and L K Advani nominated him as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha in 2004,'' Mr. Prasad asked.

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