Advani hails Gujarat win as he eyes Lok Sabha
From correspondents in Delhi, India, 07:32 PM IST
Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani Tuesday paid glowing tributes to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the Hindutva poster boy, as he vowed to win parliamentary elections due next year.
Addressing the closing session of the two-day BJP National Council meeting here, Advani called his party's landslide victory in Gujarat last month as a 'fabulous win' even as he accused the Congress-led government of pandering to minorities.
'The Congress fought the Gujarat election as a secular versus non-secular one. It made the polls a national referendum on communalism. But the people made it clear that it is the Congress that is communal,' Advani told delegates from all over the country.
'Our Gujarat victory is a triumph of good governance and development over vote-bank politics,' he said.
Advani, who represents Gandhinagar in Gujarat in the Lok Sabha, went on: 'People ask me if Modi has become bigger than the BJP. If a young leader has achieved more than what its leaders have achieved till now, than it is a proud moment for the party.'
Sounding supremely confident, Advani - who is slowly beginning to eclipse former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as the party's top star - thundered that the BJP was determined to return to power that it lost in 2004 in New Delhi.
'We have taken a pledge that we are going to win the coming elections,' he said, in an obvious reference to the next Lok Sabha ballot scheduled next year.
And having worsted the Congress in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh last year, he mocked at the ruling party: 'The Congress thinks we are going to lose in states where we are in power. That is not going to happen.'
His reference was to elections scheduled this year in BJP-ruled Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where Congress strategists feel they have a good chance of ousting the BJP. Some reports indicate that the Congress might advance general elections to coincide with these state elections.
Advani accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government of playing the communal card.
'For me secularism means no injustice to anybody. How can the prime minister say that Muslims have the first right to the limited natural resources of this country? This right belongs to the poor, whichever religion or caste they belong to,' he said.
'It is the Dalits and the tribals who are the poorest and deserve reservation,' said Advani, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.
However, Advani skirted any mention of the Ram temple, which Hindu groups have vowed to build on the ruins of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.
He, however, reiterated BJP's known opposition to Article 370 of the constitution, which bestows special status on the border state.
'The Election Commission and the Supreme Court should have the same jurisdiction in Jammu and Kashmir (as in the rest of the country),' he said.
Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state, goes to the polls this year.
Advani also accused the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of being soft on terrorism, mentioning what he said was the delay in executing Afzal Guru, sentenced to death for the 2001 terror attack on the Indian parliament.
'The cabinet has to take a decision on the issue but there is delay thanks to vote bank politics,' he said. 'Families of the nine security men who died while defending the parliament have returned the bravery awards in protest.'
He also blasted the Left parties that prop up the Manmohan Singh government. 'They decide the policies of the government. I think this is criminalisation of Indian politics.'
Advani also came down heavily on the UPA government for refusing to set up a Joint Parliamentary Committee to debate the controversial India-US civil nuclear deal. 'Instead, they formed a UPA-Left Committee.'
Advani reminded the national council members that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had carried out a number of development projects when it was in power until 2004.
'We lost the 2004 Lok Sabha elections as it was an aggregate of state results,' he reasoned. 'Our allies lost and so we lost.'
Tuesday's session began with the delegates passing a resolution demanding greater steps to check terrorism and also a farmer-friendly government. The BJP also said that there was a need for 'a vibrant foreign policy'
India eNews
2 comments:
I am quite sure, that Mr. Narendra Modi will definitely become Prime Minister of Our country.. he will do everything to protect our country and hinduism...
By reading the comments given by different people I am actually dumbstruck..The main cause for this are We 'Hindus' alone, who are against Hindus.WE lack UNITY in all aspect.WE are more of intelect driven than Religion.Say if any of a non hindu commits a sin or if he is found guilty the people of his caste ie(Non-Hindu) supports him despite his sin if proven(Against Intellect).That is they are more inclined to percieve an individual based on his or hers religious back ground.But we Hindus never does it.We dont support a person who is guilty whether he is a Hindu or no if proven guilty..Apart from all the political parties over here say BJP or Congress or another XYZ all are self fish crooks..Every parliament decision is taken on the basis of an eye with a benefit for their respective party whether it be in an undermining way of HINDUs..Friend I am afraid.The end of this mother earth would be in the hands of Islam.As most case of terrorism pops up from their majority area.As in Bhagavadgita Kalki Should take avathar and save us from all these Rakshas called Terrorist Muslims..RAM RAM KI JAY
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