Saturday, May 7 2005 12:03 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Coimbatore: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (May 7, 2005) accused the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government in general and Congress in particular for indulging in tarnishing the Opposition, to "cover up its failure in all fronts and to escape from their responsibility".

"Congress leaders are responsible for the stalemate in the Parliament. They don't want Opposition in the house, which will boomerang on them," BJP Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu told a press conference in Coimbatore.

The one-point programme of the Government, which is completing one year at the office "is to protect the tainted and paint the honest," he alleged.

Stating that the UPA Government and Congress leaders were not willing to discuss any important issues and wanted to keep the Opposition out, Naidu said they were not prepared to table major reports of various commissions such as Nanavati (Sikh riots) and Phukan.

The Government had "miserably and totally failed in all fronts and busy politicking and attempting to undo the good works done by the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government", he alleged.

On the allegations on "double standards" of BJP on charge-sheeted and tainted Ministers were concerned, Naidu said, "Whom are they teaching? We never protected any tainted Ministers. We did not indulge in any witch-hunting."

Citing examples, Naidu said L K Advani had resigned his seat when there was a small charge against him. So were the cases of Madan Lal Khurana, Bhuta Singh, Harin Pathak, Judeo and also Sedapatti Muthiah, Naidu observed.