PM worried about tapping, not corruption: Advani

Senior BJP leader L K Advani on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for asking the Cabinet Secretary to look into the issue of telephone tapping, saying he seemed to be more concerned about the leakage than the credibility of his government on the issue of corruption.

Senior BJP leader L K Advani on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for asking the Cabinet Secretary to look into the issue of telephone tapping, saying he seemed to be more concerned about the leakage than the credibility of his government on the issue of corruption.

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"He (Prime Minister Manomhan Singh) is worried about that (leakage). What is the aspect of concern? Common man's concern is about the credibility of the government. There should be concern about this but that is not there," Advani remarked at an NDA press conference in New Delhi.

Advani was referring to Singh asking Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar earlier in the day to look into the issue of telephone tapping.

"Are these matters about which the PM should be worried? I don't understand," he said.

Referring to the controversy, Advani said the nation had witnessed how business lobbyists play a role in government formation.

"It appeared that UPA government is not formed by the Prime Minister and, for long, we were under the wrong impression that it is not the PM but 10 Janpath (Congress President) which forms the Cabinet. But now, it has come forward that its neither the Congress president nor the PM who forms the government", Advani said.

Pointing a finger at corporate lobbyists, the BJP leader said the tapes reveal that confidence with which they claim who should be allotted what portfolio.

He said the Prime Minister might not be aware of several things going on in his government.

Advani said during the stalemate in the winter session of Parliament, government did not give a single "credible" reason for not agreeing to JPC probe on 2G scam.

He also criticised the Prime Minister on the appointment of P J Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner saying he insisted on having the former telecom secretary for the top job despite Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj's objections.