Slamming the government for going ahead with the ordinance on convicted legislators despite public sentiments against it, the BJP on Tuesday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has to take a call on wh
Slamming the government for going ahead with the ordinance on convicted legislators despite public sentiments against it, the BJP on Tuesday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has to take a call on whether he should continue in office without any “serious legitimacy” or quit after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi “rubbished” the ordinance. The principal Opposition demanded that the Congress leadership either remove Mr Gandhi from the party post or ask him to apologise for “insulting” the PM. The party also ridiculed the Congress saying that in a dynastic institution like the ruling party the family is above the PMO, the party itself and Parliament. “It was the Congress vice-president and not the BJP which showed disrespect to the Prime Minister. If Mrs Gandhi (Congress president) is really concerned about the Prime Minister’s respect then she should ask the party vice-president to resign or apologise to the nation,” said BJP chief Rajnath Singh in Kolkata while reacting to the Congress chief’s charge that the BJP insulted the PM. Mr Singh claimed the BJP was opposed to the controversial ordinance and has asked the President not to sign it. The party maintained that the PM’s post is an institution and that it criticises the PM “when we are not in agreement with him”. “...But when his own party starts rubbishing him then the office he holds suffers a highly adverse impact,” said Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley while interacting with journalists. He termed the proposed legislation as “unconstitutional” and maintained there was also hardly any political need for it as it would benefit few. Questioning the manner in which Mr Gandhi “overruled” the PM by calling the ordinance “nonsense”, Mr Jaitley said, “The manner in which it was done has caused more harm than the ordinance.” He claimed such deeds of the government have created a strong anti-incumbency. Claiming that the next Lok Sabha polls will be about governance issues and in some measure “a referendum on leadership”, Mr Jaitley added that there is growing disillusionment with the Congress-led government. Mr Jaitley said people look at the NDA as an alternative to the current government and dismissed prospects of a third front forming the government saying it is a “failed idea”. Mr Jaitley maintained after deciding on Narendra Modi as party’s prime ministerial candidate, the BJP has got more clarity and vigour.
