PTI
 
New Delhi, Aug 15: Voicing dismay at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's omission of the 'cash-for-vote' scam in his Independence Day speech, senior BJP leader L K Advani on Friday said the scandal "dented" people's faith in democracy, like what had happened during the emergency.
 

"(There are) two occasions when people's faith in democracy was dented. First in 1975 when constitutional power was misused to impose emergency... it is a blot on the history of free India. This year the second blot came....we have been complaining of money power in elections, this time we saw money power being misused to influence Parliament," the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP said.

"I thought the Prime Minister's speech would have a direct or indirect reference to the cash-for-vote scandal. Although there was a mention of the Amarnath controversy, I would have been satisfied if there was a mention of this controversy too," Advani told reporters after a flag-hoisting ceremony at his residence here.

BJP President Rajnath Singh took a dig at the Prime Minister for stating that his government was committed to eradicating unemployment.
 

"Slogans like garibi hatao (remove poverty) and "eradicate unemployment" can win elections by misleading the people. But to build a nation one needs strong will-power. PM should awaken his will-power through his actions," he said.

Singh also criticised the government's attitude on the Ram Setu and Amarnath issues.

"Its attitude shows that India has still not got cultural independence," he said adding, "at the time of independence people were heart-broken due to the partition and took a pledge that the causes which led to partition will not be allowed to flourish. But today benefits are being provided on the basis of religion."

"Our stand is that there should be justice to all and appeasement of none," the BJP leader said.