NEW DELHI: The United Progressive Alliance Government's three-year rule at the Centre was an utter failure, the Bharatiya Janata Party said on Wednesday. It charged the Congress-led coalition with being "soft" on the issue of national security.

For the first time in the history of the nation, a Government was headed by a `non-Prime Minister', run by a person `not accountable to Parliament' and surviving on life-support system provided by parties that behaved more like the Opposition, senior BJP leader L.K. Advani said in a statement here. "I have not seen such a Government utterly lacking in credibility, confidence and cohesion."

The UPA was no more an aam aadmi's Government, he quoted Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar's remark. The Congress had surrendered itself to a `slavish culture' in which the `reigning dynasty' never went wrong and was `never responsible or accountable' for any failure. The UPA had failed on 10 major points, including checking the steep rise in prices of essential commodities, which demonstrated its betrayal of the common man.

Mr. Advani said the UPA had failed to address the issue of internal security. Its first action had been to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) and since then it was adopting a soft approach in dealing with the jehadi menace.

At a press conference here, BJP president Rajnath Singh termed the UPA Government's performance as a failure, saying the prices of essential commodities had gone through the roof. He also accused the Centre of compromising on national security.

Mr. Singh issued a 66-page charge sheet titled "UPA's three years, aam aadmi's (common man's) tear years" to mark the third anniversary of UPA rule.

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