Delhi:
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sunday announced a campaign against the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) for not having the "conviction" to put the Lokpal bill to vote in the Rajya Sabha.
BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters here that people are disappointed with the UPA for its failure to get the Rajya Sabha to vote on the bill.
"There was no conviction by the UPA in Rajya Sabha for passing a strong Lokpal bill and that is why people are disappointed. BJP will launch the 'Loktantra bachao, Congress hatao' (save democracy, remove congress) campaign at district level from Jan 3-10," she said.
Nirmala Sitharaman said the BJP will "tell the truth" to the people on the episode.
"If Congress had the will to pass Lokpal, it would have talked to the Trinamool Congress, BJP and other parties. But Congress does not have the conviction," she said.
The BJP also proposed to send a party delegation to President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday to lodge a protest against the government's failure to put the anti-corruption bill to vote in the Rajya Sabha.
Another BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said Friday that the BJP will hold silent protest marches, with its members wearing black bands.
With a couple of weeks left before parliament again takes up the Lokpal bill again during the budget session, the BJP has decided to hit the streets on the matter. The party is likely to raise the issue during the coming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa.