UPA government has disgraced democracy: LK Advani

KOLHAPUR (Maharashtra): Stepping up his attack on the Centre's UPA Government, BJP leader L K Advani has branded it as "corrupt" and said it brought "disgrace" to democracy.

The BJP stalwart also demanded that the government publish a white paper on black money salted away in Switzerland and other tax havens.

"The UPA government should publish a white paper on black money in Swiss banks and efforts made by the government to bring this money back to India," he said addressing a public meeting in Kolhapur in western Maharashtra last evening during his Jan Chetna Yatra.

Amid intermittent bursting of firecrackers that interrupted his speech, the former deputy prime minister said "The present government is not only corrupt and unlawful but it (has) disgraced our democracy."

Advani said UPA government was "lawless" as it had "encouraged horse trading of MPs to win the crucial trust vote in 2008" after the Left withdrew support over Indo-US nuclear deal.

Referring to the revised Indo-Swiss taxation treaty, Advani said India can now retrieve black money stashed away in Swiss banks with its help.

"Information that has been leaked says there are 250 Indian account holders in Swiss banks (who have stashed away ill-gotten wealth). We are going to demand a white paper on black money and seek disclosure of the list of such account holders in the coming Parliament session," he said.

Senior party leaders including Prakash Javadekar, Gopinath Munde, Maharashtra BJP unit chief Sudhir Mungantivar, national spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad and BJP general secretary Anant Kumar were also present.