Rahul trashed ordinance to salvage Congress image: BJP

The BJP Saturday dismissed, as "a well orchestrated political stunt to salvage the image of the party", Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's trashing of the ordinance to save convicted lawmakers from disqualification.

Gandhi spoke against the ordinance after it had been condemned by all and President Pranab Mukherjee, to whom it has been sent for approval, questioned the reasons for issuing it, Bharatiya Janata Party's former president M. Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here.

Asked whether the ordinance was sought to be promulgated in a hurry to save former Bihar chief minister and Congress ally Lalu Prasad, he said "undoubtedly".

If ordinance was not issued before Sep 30 and "if there is a judgment negative against him, then he will lose his membership," Naidu said referring to fodder scam case which Lalu Prasad has been fighting.

The Congress also wanted to save its Rajya Sabha members Rasheed Masood, who was convicted recently in a corruption case when he was a central minister in 1990-91.

Naidu said Gandhi's condemnation of the ordinance was also intended to show the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "who is the real boss".

He said the prime minister's image has reached "lowest ebb" following Gandhi's attack and he should "step down and go for early elections".