Mallika Sarabhai invites Advani for open debate

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Mallika Sarabhai invites Advani for open debate

Ahmedabad, April 6 (IANS) Noted danseuse Mallika Sarabhai Monday invited Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani for a public debate on his achievements during his last four terms as the MP from the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat in Gujarat.

'I invite the senior BJP leader for an open debate on his achievements in his constituency even though he had not learnt to converse in Gujarati after being elected from Gandhinagar for so many terms as MP,' Sarabhai told reporters at a press conference here Monday evening.

Sarabhai said that she would be putting up five questions every week for Advani to answer till the campaigning gets over in Gujarat.

She said that there are residents of villages in Gandhinagar district whose homes do not have a toilet for the past six decades. An amount of Rs.2 crore had only been utilised by Advani for carrying out developmental work and a total of Rs.8 crore had been returned by him to the central government unutilised during his last four terms as MP, she said.

Source: IANS

Manmohan attacks, Advani hits back

New Delhi/Mathura, Mar 24 (PTI) Gloves were off in the run up to the elections today with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh launching an unusually aggressive attack on BJP leader L K Advani accusing him of playing a "prominent role" in the Babri Masjid demolition, "presiding" over the "massacre" in Gujarat and failing in tackling terrorism.

Hours later, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate hit back saying Singh's government was run by Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

"I know Advani repeatedly calls me a weak prime minister. Whether I was weak or strong prime minster, the actions of our government will speak volumes. But when I look at the record of Advani, all I can discover is the prominent role in the destruction of Babri Masjid. What else he had done afterwards as contribution to national welfare," he asked.

He was replying to a question at a press conference in the presence of Gandhi when the party's election manifesto was released.

Reserving strong words for Advani, Singh said his tenure as Home Minister had seen attacks on Parliament and Red Fort besides the plane hijacking for which terrorists were rewarded. He asked electorate to decide whether such a person was "fit" to lead the nation. PTI