Avoid controversies, Arun Jaitley to BJP workers ahead of Lok Sabha elections

Against the backdrop of the row generated by Amit Shah's "revenge" comment, BJP leader Arun Jaitley today said party workers should avoid controversies to maintain focus on campaign issues and warned them against being complacent. "The party supporters must measure their wards. We must remain focused on campaign issue and avoid controversies. The going is good. We should not take our eyes off the ball," he said on his blog.

Jaitley's remarks have come at a time when Shah's comment has generated a row after he said that the general election, especially in western UP, is "an election for honour. It is an election to take revenge for the insult. It an election to teach a lesson to those who have committed injustice." Congress has demanded the arrest of Shah, a close aide of Narendra Modi, for his remarks while BJP has said that he had talked of taking revenge from Congress and his statement was not against any particular community.

Jaitley said the "wave" for Modi and "a last minute push by the party supporters is capable of taking the NDA into 300 seat range" but warned the workers against being complacent. "Complacency and over confidence are always counter- productive....A last minute push by the party supporters is capable of taking the NDA into 300 seat range," he said.

Ahead of the first round of polling beginning tomorrow, he said, "My appeal to BJP supporters is that no election is over till the last vote is polled. The BJP is the clear front-runner with its allies. In the dying hours of the campaign before the polling in each state, the groundswell for Narendra Modi, the BJP/NDA, and the desire for change is becoming clearer."