Describing the Congress and Left alliance as a "quarrelsome marriage" BJP leader L K Advani on Sunday said mid-term polls could be expected by early 2008.
KOCHI: Describing the Congress and Left alliance as a "quarrelsome marriage" which was likely to fall apart soon, following differences over the Indo-US nuclear deal, senior BJP leader L K Advani on Sunday said mid-term polls could be expected by early 2008.
"The present government will not last till 2009 and election can be held any time before that, in all probability in early 2008," Advani told a press meet here.
Following the possibility of early elections, BJP had held two meetings in which all units of the party have been asked to be in the election mode, he said.
A bizarre tug-of-war is going on between the Congress and the Left. The "unprincipled and opportunist alliance, the kind of which India had never seen at the Centre, is rapidly coming apart. All that remains to happen is the announcement of inevitable "divorce" between the two partners, whose only common minimum programme, was "anti-BJPism," he said.
Time is not very long, he said adding he was hopeful of the BJP-led NDA bouncing back to power in the event of an early election.
Holding both the Congress and the Left responsible for precipitating a destabilising political crisis, he said the chances of a resolution seems bleak.
Instead of following the "coalition dharma", both have resorted to the "collision dharma". If collision leads to parliamentary elections, they alone would have to share the blame, he said adding in that event, the people would naturally draw the conclusion that neither the Congress nor the Left can be trusted to provide stability or strong governance.
Advani alleged that the 'opportunistic' nature of the UPA alliance had led to the present development.
In large areas of governance, in policy formulations, the approach of the congress and left parties was "diametrically opposite", especially in Foreign and Economic policies, he said.
Asked if he or former prime minister A B Vajpayee would be leading the party in the event of elections, Advani said it was for the party to decide.
"Vajpayeeji continues to attend all party meetings, he is very active in sharing ideas and expressions, but health problems are there," the opposition leader said.
On the BJP's election plank, he said it had to be formulated.
When it was pointed out that the RSS is backing the Left parties on the nuclear deal, Advani said the RSS was of the same opinion as that of the BJP that it imposes curbs on the country's sovereignty and needs to be renegotiated.
On the Sachar committee report, he said reservation on the basis of religion was not in national interest and was purely a vote bank politics.
Advani said both the Congress and the left parties in Kerala had wanted the release of PDP leader, Abdul Nasser Madhani, who was recently absolved of all charges in the Coimbatore blasts case and released.
Balbir Punj, All India secretary of the BJP in charge of Kerala and V Sateesh, All India general secretary, former Union Minister, O Rajagopal, state BJP president N N Krishndas were among those present.
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