I've never seen a Govt paralysed for so long: Advani

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Holding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh directly responsible for the present political crisis, Leader of Opposition L K Advani on Monday said that the Indo-US nuclear deal has become an agreement between two individuals making India "subservient" and a "junior partner".

"UPA is like a patient in the ICU room. The first question everyone asks is whether he is going to survive or not," Advani said in a scathing attack on the Prime Minister and the ruling UPA coalition.

Speaking on the confidence motion moved by the Prime Minister, the BJP leader accused the Prime Minister of having opposed the 1998 Pokhran II tests, triggering an immediate rebuttal by Singh who said he had only spoken about sanctions and whether the country was prepared for it.

Advani referred to "sharp exchanges" during that period in Rajya Sabha between Singh and late BJP leader K R Malkani but the Prime Minister retorted saying let any objective person read the proceedings and draw his own conclusions.

Singh said his remarks on the tests and the criticisms were made in the context of sanctions imposed on India after the tests and also in the light of India's stand on non-proliferation.

The BJP leader said the present situation was entirely brought about by Singh and not precipitated by opposition NDA or even Left parties.

He said people would decide in the next elections "even if the government survives tomorrow".

Advani said Singh had sparked the political impasse with his interview to a Kolkata newspaper where he had said that if the Left parties want to withdraw support, "so be it".

"If the government was so serious about the (nuclear) deal, why is it not mentioned in the Common Minimum Programme or even the Congres manifesto. It is a kind of an agreement between two individuals amd one happens to be the Prime Minister," the BJP leader said.

Attacking the government for speaking in "different voices", Advani said External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had assured the Left parties that India would approach the IAEA for the safeguards agreement only after getting the approval of Parliament.

But the Prime Minister had chosen to give a different line and suddenly the draft agreement was sent to the nuclear watchdog, he said.

The draft text was described as "privileged" and "classified" but it was circulated to IAEA members first.

"I have never seen a government paralysed for so long" with nothing else but the deal, Advani said.