http://ibnlive.in.com/news/cashforvote-revelations-tarnish-pms-image/146297-37-64.html
New Delhi: For Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the latest revelations couldn't have come at a worse time. Already under siege on the 2G scam, the latest Wikileaks revelations that cash was exchanged to win the crucial trust vote in 2008 now raises more troubling questions.
Singh is King was the slogan at that time. A much-fought-for win in the 2008 trust vote gave Manmohan Singh a reason to smile.
Three years later, the latest Wikileaks cables has brought the frown back. The accidental politician and embodiment of decency has now being asked to step down.
"This Government has no authority to continue. They must resign immediately," said Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley.
The report has brought shame to the nation. This government has lost the moral right of ruling the country," said Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.
At the peak of the nuke deal tug-of-war with the Left, PM had threatened to step down. The Congress chose him and then bent every democratic rule to muster the numbers covering up for the loss of Left support.
A 2009 UPA victory had made him the king, but now with 2G, CWG and Devas Antrix deals, the PM's honest image has been shaken.
In these scams, PM's spin-doctors gave the argument that while his ministers erred, the PM himself was clean.
But Wikileaks, to a great extent, shakes this argument.
The alleged exchange of cash for votes is being seen as a fallout of the PM's personal obsession with the nuke deal and his personal affinity with the US.
A stung Congress swung into action.
"There is no reason for the PM to resign. We came back to power in 2009...shouldn't the people's voice be more important than the cables," said Congress leader Rajiv Shukla.
The credibility of the cables may be questioned but what cannot be denied is the fact that, stung by scams, the PM's image has been deeply shaken. And now even his spin doctors seem to be failing to find a solution.
New Delhi: For Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the latest revelations couldn't have come at a worse time. Already under siege on the 2G scam, the latest Wikileaks revelations that cash was exchanged to win the crucial trust vote in 2008 now raises more troubling questions.
Singh is King was the slogan at that time. A much-fought-for win in the 2008 trust vote gave Manmohan Singh a reason to smile.
Three years later, the latest Wikileaks cables has brought the frown back. The accidental politician and embodiment of decency has now being asked to step down.
"This Government has no authority to continue. They must resign immediately," said Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley.
The report has brought shame to the nation. This government has lost the moral right of ruling the country," said Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.
At the peak of the nuke deal tug-of-war with the Left, PM had threatened to step down. The Congress chose him and then bent every democratic rule to muster the numbers covering up for the loss of Left support.
A 2009 UPA victory had made him the king, but now with 2G, CWG and Devas Antrix deals, the PM's honest image has been shaken.
In these scams, PM's spin-doctors gave the argument that while his ministers erred, the PM himself was clean.
But Wikileaks, to a great extent, shakes this argument.
The alleged exchange of cash for votes is being seen as a fallout of the PM's personal obsession with the nuke deal and his personal affinity with the US.
A stung Congress swung into action.
"There is no reason for the PM to resign. We came back to power in 2009...shouldn't the people's voice be more important than the cables," said Congress leader Rajiv Shukla.
The credibility of the cables may be questioned but what cannot be denied is the fact that, stung by scams, the PM's image has been deeply shaken. And now even his spin doctors seem to be failing to find a solution.