By IANS,
New Delhi : The Congress Wednesday criticised Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani for skipping Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s dinner for outgoing Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee and said it indicated his scant respect for parliamentary democracy.
“It is shocking that Advani boycotted the prime minister’s farewell dinner for the outgoing speaker Somnath Chatterjee. It is very clear from the disgraceful act what little respect the BJP and its leader have for parliamentary democracy,” Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan told reporters here.
In recent days, the two leading prime ministerial candidates have been exchanging strong words, which prompted Advani to boycott the dinner.
“They (BJP leaders) are so intolerant and so contemptuous of democratic tradition that Advani insulted the office of the speaker by boycotting the dinner. Once again the BJP has dealt a blow to parliamentary democracy. The leader of opposition has devalued his own post and damaged it beyond repair by this action,” she added.
The top leadership of the Left parties, including Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat and politburo member Sitaram Yechury and Forward Bloc national secretary G. Devarajan, also did not attend Tuesday’s dinner.