Advani wonders what would UPA do without Pranab

BJP's prime ministerial hopeful LK Advani generously praised External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and wondered aloud what the government would have done without him.

Taking a subtle dig at the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), BJP's prime ministerial hopeful LK Advani on Tuesday generously praised External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and wondered aloud what the government would have done without him.

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"I have great admiration for his (Mukherjee's) abilities and sometimes think what would the government have done without him," Advani said in the Lok Sabha during the motion of thanks to President Pratibha Patil's speech.

Besides external affairs, Mukherjee is acting finance minister and is standing in for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is convalescing after a bypass surgery.

Several members, including the external affairs minister, broke into laughter as Advani praised him.