NEW DELHI: The blame-casting over Lokpal continued on Monday, with BJP and Congress holding each other responsible for the failure to constitute the graft-fighting ombudsman.

Congress persisted with its charge that BJP’s “negative politics” was the main reason for the fiasco in the Rajya Sabha. “Congress condemns the obstructive, dilatory, negative, politically expedient and opportunistic conduct of BJP,” said Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi. BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad retaliated saying that the Congress was “spreading lies” to defend the government.

He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had admitted that the government’s fight against corruption was not effective in 2011. “The prime minister also chose to remain silent when the Lokpal bill was debated in the Rajya Sabha. He is also the leader of Congress in the House, but had no opinion to offer during the debate,” Prasad said.

BJP, whose top leaders are planning to meet President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday to register their complaint on the events in the Rajya Sabha on December 29, has been alleging that the script was choreographed.

“We are going to take our protest against the government’s action to the Rashtrapati Bhawan,” Prasad said. To a question about the role of Chairman Hamid Ansari, he said: “We have serious reservations on the Rajya Sabha Chairman’s ruling to adjourn the House on that day but will not comment further on this issue.”

Not to be outdone in the blame-game, Congress on Monday said heavens would not have fallen had BJP allowed the Lokpal Bill, as passed by the Lok Sabha, to be passed by the Rajya Sabha.

“If BJP was fine with the bill passed in the Lok Sabha, heavens would not have fallen if the same bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha. This is really a question of intent; BJP has one stand outside and another inside Parliament,” alleged Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari.

“The year 2011 commenced with BJP trying to create the spectre of negativism on the 2G issue. A year later, the jury is still out in JPC whether CAG at all had the authority to calculate the presumptive loss figure,” Tewari pointed out adding that same kind of negativism played out when the Lokpal Bill came up in the Rajya Sabha.

“Let’s hope 2012 ushers an era of positive politics and the Opposition being the Opposition for the sake of opposing does not continue to be the swan songa¦ May reason and sanity prevail in the political discourse,” he added.