BJP backs Advani as party's PM face

CHANDIGARH: BJP on Sunday rejected Congress' claims of a division in the party over Leader of Opposition L K Advani being chosen to lead it.
       
"BJP always followed single ideology... there is no division in the party," BJP president Rajnath Singh said here when asked about the possible division, as claimed by the Congress, after party decided to transfer powers to Advani from Vajpayee recently.
       
About the party's policy on Ram temple, he said the Ram temple was never considered by the party as an election issue.  "It is a national issue," he said.
       
Construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya has been the party's long-standing demand, he added.
       
Singh did not ruled out the possibility of mid-term polls in the country and said "the constituents of NDA were united and were all prepared for a mid-term elections."
       
He also criticised the Left parties for adopting the policy of 'multi-speak'.
       
When asked about possible elevation of acting chief of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Sukhbir Singh Badal as the Chief Minister of Punjab in place of his father Parkash Singh Badal, Singh said it was an internal matter of SAD.
       
"All decisions of Badal are acceptable to the BJP," he said.