Someone controlling government from outside: Advani

Staff Correspondent

"Government not giving due importance to Opposition"

MANDLA (M.P.): Bharatiya Janata Party president L.K. Advani said on Saturday that a "major weakness" of the United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre was that instead of the Prime Minister using his constitutional powers, "someone was controlling the affairs of the Government from outside".

Mr. Advani was addressing a tribal convention here.

The BJP chief, who blamed the UPA Government for the prevailing stalemate in Parliament, told reporters that the Congress-led Government at the Centre was not giving due importance to the Opposition.

He said the Congress, along with its Communist allies, was trying to weaken the Opposition. The Congress had tried the same after the imposition of the Emergency in 1975.

Referring to the BJP’s victory in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand in the last round of Assembly elections, Mr. Advani said the voters supported the BJP because of its pro-development agenda.

Tribal voters had also played a big role in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in many States, he said.

Mr. Advani alleged that the UPA Government wanted to introduce the Scheduled Tribes Bill in Parliament but an "influential Member of Parliament" had stopped the Centre from moving in this direction