New Delhi:
In an exclusive interview to NDTV's Rahul Shrivastava, BJP leader LK Advani explains why he believes the Prime Minister has to step down immediately. Mr Advani says he blames Dr Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi equally for the cash-for-votes scandal. A US diplomatic cable released now by WikiLeaks suggests that the Congress bought MPs in order to survive a vote of confidence in July 2008 over India's planned nuclear deal with the US. The cable was sent days before the actual vote took place on July 22. Dr Manmohan Singh narrowly won that vote.
This is the transcript of Mr Advani's interview:
NDTV: For the first time perhaps we have heard you say this government has to go, it cannot continue for even a single day. What has been the change?
Advani: Over six months starting with preps for Commonwealth Games, issue of corruption has come to the fore. And as events have been unfolding, it has been becoming clearer and clearer that with the protection of the PM's present image of being a decent honest man, this government has been protecting the worst sort of malfeasances and scams.
NDTV: You mean he has been presiding over corruption?
Advani: In a way, yes. I have always respected him, since the days he became the Finance Minister in Narasimha Rao's government and brought about certain radical changes in the economic strategy and I certainly attribute that more to Narasimha Rao himself...but the fact is that he was the principal architect of that.
NDTV: Today I can see there is a sense of disappointment...that you are on the verge of asking the PM to step down.
Advani: I have done it. It was not my personal decision...it was the decision of the whole party together.
NDTV: Do you think the PM alone is responsible for this...or somewhere the Congress President Sonia Gandhi also has to take the blame?
Advani: I had said in 2008 as well - when large-scale buying and selling of MPs took place in order to enable Manmohan Singh to survive the no-confidence vote against him which had been moved by the Leftist parties - that time I had said that never before has there been a scandal of such dimensions...because unlike earlier scandals, in this case, it's not one or two people that are involved, it is the whole establishment - both government as well as party which is involved in the whole thing...find out who are corruptible MPs...who can be bought... and we are willing to pay them anything like 10-15 crores.
NDTV: But are you saying that the PM was a mere beneficiary of this exercise of buying MPs, or was he also orchestrating it? ...was he behind the effort to win?
Advani: If any wrong doing takes place, one has to find out...if suppose a crime takes place, those probing it would first find out who is the beneficiary. So in that case also, one had to find out who was the beneficiary of surviving that no-confidence vote.
NDTV: And in this case you are saying it was the PM?
Advani: It was the PM and the whole establishment...and the Congress party. So therefore they were the beneficiaries. And even more than that, whenever I referred to the PM as the weakest PM India has seen, I have always referred to the fact that he had to act as dictated by the Congress Party President, which is not something that should happen in a democracy. In a democracy, the PM is the final word in the government but in a Communist country, it is the party chief who is the final word.
NDTV: But are you blaming what happened on the floor of the house that day or during those days...are you saying that Mrs Sonia Gandhi is responsible?
Advani: I am saying both are equally responsible and therefore I have always said both of them must take the blame.
NDTV: Do you think there is a problem...there is no option...there is certain unpreparedness for elections at this stage?
Advani: No problem. There is no problem. The Election Commission would not say they cannot do it. At least for the NDA, I have said today we would like for this government to go and a new government to take its place.
This is the transcript of Mr Advani's interview:
NDTV: For the first time perhaps we have heard you say this government has to go, it cannot continue for even a single day. What has been the change?
Advani: Over six months starting with preps for Commonwealth Games, issue of corruption has come to the fore. And as events have been unfolding, it has been becoming clearer and clearer that with the protection of the PM's present image of being a decent honest man, this government has been protecting the worst sort of malfeasances and scams.
NDTV: You mean he has been presiding over corruption?
Advani: In a way, yes. I have always respected him, since the days he became the Finance Minister in Narasimha Rao's government and brought about certain radical changes in the economic strategy and I certainly attribute that more to Narasimha Rao himself...but the fact is that he was the principal architect of that.
NDTV: Today I can see there is a sense of disappointment...that you are on the verge of asking the PM to step down.
Advani: I have done it. It was not my personal decision...it was the decision of the whole party together.
NDTV: Do you think the PM alone is responsible for this...or somewhere the Congress President Sonia Gandhi also has to take the blame?
Advani: I had said in 2008 as well - when large-scale buying and selling of MPs took place in order to enable Manmohan Singh to survive the no-confidence vote against him which had been moved by the Leftist parties - that time I had said that never before has there been a scandal of such dimensions...because unlike earlier scandals, in this case, it's not one or two people that are involved, it is the whole establishment - both government as well as party which is involved in the whole thing...find out who are corruptible MPs...who can be bought... and we are willing to pay them anything like 10-15 crores.
NDTV: But are you saying that the PM was a mere beneficiary of this exercise of buying MPs, or was he also orchestrating it? ...was he behind the effort to win?
Advani: If any wrong doing takes place, one has to find out...if suppose a crime takes place, those probing it would first find out who is the beneficiary. So in that case also, one had to find out who was the beneficiary of surviving that no-confidence vote.
NDTV: And in this case you are saying it was the PM?
Advani: It was the PM and the whole establishment...and the Congress party. So therefore they were the beneficiaries. And even more than that, whenever I referred to the PM as the weakest PM India has seen, I have always referred to the fact that he had to act as dictated by the Congress Party President, which is not something that should happen in a democracy. In a democracy, the PM is the final word in the government but in a Communist country, it is the party chief who is the final word.
NDTV: But are you blaming what happened on the floor of the house that day or during those days...are you saying that Mrs Sonia Gandhi is responsible?
Advani: I am saying both are equally responsible and therefore I have always said both of them must take the blame.
NDTV: Do you think there is a problem...there is no option...there is certain unpreparedness for elections at this stage?
Advani: No problem. There is no problem. The Election Commission would not say they cannot do it. At least for the NDA, I have said today we would like for this government to go and a new government to take its place.
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