Congress made India its 'jagirdari': LK Advani

Alleging that Congress had become the "fiefdom" of a single family, senior BJP leader LK Advani today said the country was paying a "heavy price" as the  ruling party had reserved the post of prime minster to its nominee or a family scion.

"Sadly, the Congress today has become the fiefdom of a single family. The office of prime minister is reserved either for the nominee or a member of the Nehru family. India is paying a heavy price because of a prime minister nominated by the Congress president," Advani said in his blog posting.

This, he said, was in sharp contrast to a period when patriots of all hues like Shayama Prasad Mukherjee of Jan Sangh and BR Ambedkar were accommodated in the Cabinet after independence at the behest of Mahatma Gandhi.

Noting that there was an increasing demand from within the Congress that a scion of the Nehru family become the prime minister, he said the prime ministership of a great democracy like India should not be allowed to become the "jagirdari" of a family.

He said the country cannot afford continuation of the "misrule" that the UPA represents.