Virtually pitching for his party projecting Narendra Modi as its orime ministerial candidate and also claiming that in the next general elections it would be presidential-style contest, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Saturday attacked the Congress-led UPA government for having dual centres of power in which Congress president Sonia Gandhi has the “last word” and there was “no accountability” of the PM as is expected in a parliamentary democracy.
Terming it as a “structural defect” in the system due to which the nation has paid a “big price”, Mr Jaitley said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh lacked “leadership” while ministers have to “bow” before Mrs Gandhi because of her “clout and influence”.
“There is a serious crisis of leadership... In a democracy the PM has the last word. That is why the PM should be such who has the most political clout and political experience. Accountability in a democracy is that of Prime Minister. This did not happen in this regime. This is a lesson for the future,” the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said in his lecture on “India 2020 — Challenges Ahead” here.
“Today this nation needs a leadership which has proven ability... In the world’s largest democracy, you create a leadership on the basis of proven ability or will it become a dynastic democracy?” he said.