Wednesday, March 16 2005 19:17 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Communist Party of India (CPI) today (Mar 16, 2005) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of pursuing "extra-Parliamentary methods" to destroy the fundamentals of Parliamentary democracy in the country.

"The aggressive posture of BJP, its refusal to allow the House to function for a number of days, its open directive to some of the (Assembly) Speakers to refuse the invitation of the Lok Sabha Speaker, are all reminiscent of extra- Parliamentary methods, which seek to destroy the foundation of the Parliamentary system," CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said at New Delhi.

"The exalted office of the Lok Sabha Speaker is continuously under attack by the BJP," he said, asking all political parties and the people to realise the gravity of the situation and unite to protect the democratic institutions.

The BJP's moves to bring a no-confidence motion against the Speaker clearly underlined the "threat to Parliamentary democracy," he said.