New Delhi: Emboldened by Sibu Soren's resignation from the Union Cabinet, NDA (National Democratic Alliance) today (July 25, 2004) intensified its campaign on the "tainted" ministers issue by approaching President A P J Abdul Kalam seeking his intervention for removal of five such other Central ministers.

A 27-member delegation, led by former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, met Kalam and urged him that he as the "custodian" of the Constitution should exercise his "moral" authority to "intervene with the Prime Minister over the continuance of persons with criminal and economic offences background, and others with dubious antecedents in the Union Council of Ministers."

"We feel that the President should take up the issue" of ensuring that the tainted ministers are out of Government," Advani told reporters after the 30-minute meeting.

He said the President, as Constitutional head, has the right to give advice to the Government, which the latter "cannot ignore".

Terming Soren's removal as "a little step after great struggle" by NDA, the Opposition grouping demanded that the Government take the matter to its logical conclusion and drop all other "tainted" ministers - Laloo Prasad, M A A Fatmi, Mohd Taslimuddin, Jaiprakash Yadav and Prem Chand Gupta.

Describing inclusion of the "tainted" ministers as a "blot" on the largest democracy, Advani said the country feels "outraged" that the situation has arisen within two months of formation of a Government that a minister has gone "absconding" after a court issued non-bailable warrant against him.