Vajpayee, Advani still top leaders: Venkaiah Naidu

MUMBAI: Describing as "media myth" reports of a leadership crisis in the BJP, former party chief M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said A B Vajpayee and L K Advani remained top leaders of the saffron outfit.

"Vajpayee campaigned in Punjab, while Advani was in Uttarakhand today, ahead of the (February 21) assembly elections there," Naidu told a press conference here while
responding to a question on who would leader the party as Vajpayee was "too old" and Advani's standing had taken a beating due to the Jinnah controversy.

Naidu, who was here as chairman of the parliamentary committee examining the issue of petroleum adulteration, criticised the Central government for "failing" to check
inflation.

"During the NDA rule, inflation was contained at around three per cent. Now it has crossed six per cent," he said.

The UPA will have to pay a heavy price in coming days because of rising prices of essential commodities and there would be a "noticeable shift" in the political situation after assembly elections in Punjab and other states, he said.

The BJP will announce the second phase of its anti-inflation protest on February 24 in Delhi after a meeting of the party's office-bearers, he said.

State BJP spokesperson Madhu Chavan said the party and the Shiv Sena had resolved to form an alliance in all 27 zilla parishads in the state that are going to polls on March 11.