New Delhi, Feb 16: Congress today requested the Election Commission to reject the reported request of the government to extend the Prime Minister's privileges to deputy Prime Minister L K Advani during the election period. Expressing strong reservation over the proposal and opposing it tooth and nail, Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Pranab Mukherjee told newspersons that the Deputy Prime Minister did not enjoy any special constitutional status as in the case of the Prime Minister and that he was just one among the other members of the council of ministers. ''There is no mention about the post of deputy prime minister in the Constitution. One of the council of ministers is designated as Deputy Prime Minister. Therefore, the Deputy Prime Minister does not enjoy any privilege.''
He said that the privileges of the Prime Minister could not be extended to any other minister under the Constitution.
Mukherjee took serious exception to the Union Health Ministry's newspaper advertisement claiming that it had added 12 more AIIMS to the list of just one established during the past 50 years.
In this context, he said the government had just announced in the Finance Minister's budget speech that 12 more aiims would be opened. But not even a single paise had been allocated for this in the vote-on-account. How can a government make such a false claim to mislead the voters using the people's money,? he asked.
Bureau Report