Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani on Wednesday described Congress president Sonia Gandhi as a
'political novice' and claimed there was a danger of her party disappearing from the country's political scene.

He said the Congress "leaves all its decisions on one person of one family. It [the party] has reached a stage where it can disintegrate," he told a rally in Veeramgam, Gujarat.

"This, however, wouldn't be in the interest of the country's democracy...Congress has to do some soul-searching on these issues," he said.

Charging the Congress with ignoring the development of the country, Advani said: "After the second world war even small nations like Malaysia and Singapore became developed while we lagged behind."

Criticising Gandhi for making 'fun' of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's poetry, he said: "This remark doesn't suit her...she has just joined politics, while Vajpayee is a senior politician of four decades of standing."