UPA should be renamed Divided Regressive Alliance: Advani

Advani said allies like the Trinamool Congress were distancing themselves from the Manmohan Singh regime which is getting increasingly “unpopular”, although they are unwilling to go public at the moment with their frustration. Advani, who yesterday wondered why Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee was being silent about the scams, said, “I miss the outspokenness of Mamata.” He said the disarray and internal dissension within the UPA, which, he thinks, should be renamed as ‘‘Divided Regressive Alliance,’’ stems from mounting “public anger against the systematic loot of the country”. [caption id=“attachment_113485” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Advani hit back at Manmohan Singh saying he is the weakest PM. PTI”]  [/caption] “This is exemplified by the 2G, CWG, Adarsh, Air India and myriad other scams. India’’s image in the world is at an all-time low as its governing alliance has become a by-word for corruption,” he said. Asked about corruption charges against his own party leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddurappa, he said, “So far as our party is concerned, we have never been soft on corruption charges. As soon as the Lokayukta report came, we asked him to resign.” Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’’s latest remarks against Sonia Gandhi’’s “extravagant populist proposal” for a Food Security Act were due to the NCP’’s annoyance at having to bear the cross of the Congress’’ “nosediving image as a perpetrator and overseer of humongous corruption” in the upper echelons of the government, he said. On the issue of an estimated Rs 25 lakh crore of black money allegedly stashed away in Swiss Banks, he said, “I hope the government comes out and says what steps it has taken to stop outflow of money to tax havens and bring back black money from those places.” PTI