PM using ''phoney coalition constraints'': Advani

New Delhi, Feb 20 (PTI) Senior BJP leader L K Advanitoday took a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for sayingthat he had to make "some compromises" to run a coalition andmaintained that the NDA never used such "phoney constraints"as an excuse for compromising on integrity or good governance.

"The Prime Minister''s television interaction with someleading journalists last week has been disappointing. It showsmuch less concern about corruption than about phoney coalitionconstraints," Advani wrote on his blog today.

In his first comments about the Prime Minister''sinteraction with editors of news channels, Advani concededthat his party was "acutely aware" that in policy matters,coalition partners have a restraining effect.

But these could not be cited as an excuse for makingcompromises, he said.

The BJP Parliamentary Party chief claimed that had NDA''salliance partner TDP not opposed the formation of Telangana,the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government would have gone ahead withit. "If our alliance partner TDP had been agreeable, we couldhave with as much ease formed Telangana also. But ourcoalition dharma did not permit it.

"But neither the Vajpayee Government, nor any other NDAGovernment in the states has ever allowed coalition dharma tobecome an alibi or excuse for compromising with integrity orgood governance," he said.

In his blog posting, Advani has also commented on theprincipal opposition''s campaign against corruption and Indianblack money stashed in tax havens abroad.

Striking an idealist note, Advani stated that candidatescontesting elections should also declare whether they have anywealth abroad.

"Today the election law requires every candidate forelection to file his assets and liabilities. To deal with thisissue of recovering Indian wealth overseas for India, let thelaw also obligate every candidate to declare on oath that hehas no undeclared wealth overseas. The law may also empowerGovernment to confiscate any such wealth traced byGovernment," Advani said.

He suggested that the same approach may be adopted inrespect of all ministers, MPs and party officials, and aspecific category of the country''s affluent class.

Advani argued that Congress rule during the first 30years after independence had led to corruption which led JaiPrakash Narain to launch the campaign against the menace andunite the opposition parties.

"The seeds were laid for the evolution of the bipolarpolity which it has today become. It would thus be clear thatthe catalyst for the first major turning point in ourpolitical history was corruption," Advani said.