Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), March 24 (IANS) Taking on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had criticised him while releasing the Congress poll manifesto, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani Tuesday once again termed him a “weak” prime minister.
“From Jawaharlal Nehru till now, I have seen all prime ministers very closely. But I have not seen a weak prime minister like him (Manmohan Singh),” Advani, the National Democratic Alliance’s prime ministerial candidate, declared at a rally here.

“I call him a weak PM because in democracy, the most important address is of the prime minister, which is 7 Race Course Road but for the first time, it is not the most important address. Now the most important address is 10 Janpath, the residence of Sonia Gandhi,” Advani added.

“This government is not of Manmohan Singh, this government is of (Congress president)Sonia Gandhi. Manmohan Singh doesn’t run this government,” Advani held.

Earlier Tuesday, while releasing the Congress manifesto, Manmohan Singh had questioned Advani’s record as home minister in the BJP-led government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee that was voted out in 2004.

“What has he done for national welfare? When he was the home minister, the (terrorist) attack on parliament took place. Red Fort was attacked (by terrorists), an Indian Airlines plane was hijacked and terrorists were rewarded (by releasing them). This is the record of Advani,” Manmohan Singh said.

“He was the home minister who presided over the massacre (of innocents) in Gujarat. This country must reflect if he is fit to hold the post of prime minister,” Manmohan Singh added.

Manmohan Singh also said that Advani, widely seen as a Hindu hardliner, “was opportunist enough when he went to Pakistan. There he suddenly discovered new virtues in Mohammed Ali Jinnah. When he came back, his party disowned him, his masters in the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh) and many of his colleagues (disowned him)”.

“Is he (Advani) a strong man or a weak man, let the records speak for themselves,” the prime minister maintained.