Bangalore: Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha L K Advani today (July 11, 2004) launched a blistering attack on the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) for removal of four Governors, and also said by persisting with tainted ministers it is "guilty of ethical dereliction".

Addressing a public meeting and later press conference in Bangalore today (July 11, 2004), Advani criticised the Government for citing "ideological incompatibility" for the removal, saying the action in a way is violation of the Constitution.

"Congress' ideology is incompatible for me, Marxists ideology is incompatible for me; but does that mean that we will not function together; bond between all of us is Constitution of India", he emphasised.

Advani said the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) Government during its six-year rule always consulted Chief Ministers before appointing Governors in those states and not even in one case did it go against their wishes.

Expressing hope that the Government has not redefined the job description of Governors to include being central observers for the Congress Party, he said the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) will not sit idly if attempts were made by the Centre to destabilise its State Governments. "We warn the Prime Minister against further Constitutional adventurism".

The BJP leader also said that he had been a "swayamsevak" of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) since childhood and had drawn inspiration from it learning elementary lessons in patriotism, discipline and self-less service.

"If that is a disqualification according to the present Government, I do not know where they will take the country...I do not know....what will be the consequences", he said.

Training his guns against Marxists, Advani said that party's approach towards nationalism was such that it supported the concept of Pakistan; and when China attacked India, Marxists favoured China and not India.

"Marxists' ideology was such that they were severe critics of democracy itself for long; they called Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru the running dog of imperialists", the former Deputy and Home Minister said.

On the tainted ministers' issue, Advani said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has failed to distinguish between right and wrong. "By relying on expediency alone, his Government is guilty of constitutional recklessness, ideological intolerance and incredible pettiness", he said.

"The political follies of the UPA will have a bearing on the quality of governance and democratic culture of India."

Stating that the past six years had witnessed healthy Centre-State relations and the emergence of a genuine federal polity, he said the UPA seems determined to reverse the trend.

"At the heart of the problem is the arrogant assumption that only one party and, by implication, one family has the monopoly of correctness. There is the corresponding belief that all traces of six years of NDA Government must be removed," he said.

"This over-zealous created a few hiccups during negotiations with Pakistan when the Simla Pact was sought to be needlessly superimposed on the Islamabad declaration of January 2004, signed by Atal Behari Vajpayee", he said.