Prague - During a Sunday political talkshow broadcasted by Czech Television, Civic Democratic (ODS) MP Vlastimil Tlustý severely criticized Prime Minister and head of the ODS Mirek Topolánek.
It is considered the sharpest attack Tlustý has made against the government and the PM so far.
Tlustý said that Topolánek is not able to lead a right-wing party and expressed an opinion that the PM's own personal matters are harming the party's reputation.
"I am the ODS"
In addition, he feels that the current ministers are irresponsible, especially Interior Minister Ivan Langer. Tlustý explained that Langer was fighting the police state allegedly built by the previous Social Democratic (ČSSD) government, but his current proposals are even worse.
"I am the ODS. I want the party to retain the path it has originally chosen. Today's government has lost it," explained Tlustý.
Tlustý is criticizing more specifically some of the government's steps. For example, he is not happy with the tax reform proposed by Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek or the church compensation plan.
Read more: Internal ODS dispute over church compensations
Read more: Czech govt happy to pay churches off, calls it bargain
"I will not be silent anymore, I will use the powers of of my MP mandate to eliminate this government's ill policy," threatened Tlustý during the talkshow called Otázky Václava Moravce (Questions of Václav Moravec).
Early elections
Tlustý and his fellow "rebels" believe that the ODS is not staying true to the program with which it won the elections and even admitted they would welcome the government's fall and early elections.
"I find the fact that the government's authority is based on the tiniest majority, rather unfortunate. Early elections would solve this problem," said Juraj Raninec, one of the Civic Democratic MPs who took Tlustý's side in the conflict.
"If they are to be held, they should be held this year," added Raninec.
PM: "Tlustý holds the ODS hostage"
After this latest critique by Tlustý, PM Topolánek said that he is slowly losing his patience with the MP.
"Vlastimil Tlustý is not the ODS, as he claims. In this moment, he is not speaking for the party," said Topolánek who has for the first time sharply come out against Tlustý's remarks.
"He is taking 29 thousand members of the ODS hostage, but the majority does not agree with him," Topolánek said.
"When I was elected head of the ODS in 2002, I was warned by a number of people that I should watch out for Tlustý, for his betrayal. I was one of the few who were behind Tlustý then," added Topolánek.
The rebels felt offended by the PM's statement about not considering Tlustý an ODS lawmaker anymore.
"I find such a statement absurd. Tlustý has a mandate from the voters, not from Topolánek. The only adequate response to his words would be this - Topolánek is not our Prime Minister," said Jan Schwippel, who forms with Tlustý and Raninec a triad opposed to the government's church compensation policy.
