NDA's 'collectivity' will bring success: BJP

NEW DELHI: Firing all cylinders, a resurgent BJP on Sunday set out to oust the "failed" and "worthless" UPA Government riding on NDA's "unity and collectivity" in projecting L K Advani as the Prime Ministerial candidate.
    
At the same time, the saffron party suggested that its feet were on the ground with its chief Rajnath Singh talking about the 'agni-pariksha' (trial by fire) to retain BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
    
"By approving our decision of declaring Advani as future Prime Minister, all our friends in NDA have given a message of unity and collectivity. I believe that this collectivity will lead us to success," Singh told the party's National Executive meeting here.
    
The meeting, the first after Advani's anointment and NDA's endorsement of it, virtually saw curtains down on the era of Atal Bihari Vajpayee with Singh saying he has "blessed" Advani by handing over responsibilities to him.
    
"The responsibility of realising the unfulfilled dreams of Atalji has been given to Advani. We have to convert this golden opportunity into victory," Singh said declaring that "NDA is the need of the hour and the demand of the nation".
    
Hailing Advani, the BJP chief said his name is well-known in Indian politics, having a special place among all the political parties and has given "memorable contribution" along with Vajpayee for political rise of the party.
    
Meeting for the first time after the spectacular win in Narendra Modi-led Gujarat and wresting Himachal Pradesh from Congress, Singh termed it the success of the party's ideological commitment and its ability in the field of development.
    
"I fully believe the string of successes would further lead us to victory in the Lok Sabha elections," he said.

Briefing reporters, BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said Singh also spoke of expanding the NDA alliance but did not spell out the possible allies saying it was a matter of strategy.
    
Singh's speech at the Executive was the start of a an intense exercise in the party on the poll preparations which will be fine-tuned and given a final shape at the two-day National Council beginning on Monday.
    
In his hour-long address, the BJP chief spoke on several issues including expansion of BJP, growth of terror, plight of farmers and landless labourers and the need to avoid frequent elections.
    
He attacked the UPA, dubbing it as unnatural alliance, as also the Left parties, saying the Congress and the Marxists are engaged in be-fooling people through shadow boxing.
    
"The more bitterly the Leftists criticise the central government in media the more warmly they are hand in hand insidiously," he charged.
    
He said in the United Progressive Alliance, there is nothing that either appears united or progressive and claimed that the recent elections and political developments show that the UPA has also lost the confidence of the people.
    
In the last three-and-a-half years, Congress has lost its governments in six states, its ally RJD lost power in Bihar, TRS has withdrawn support while Vaiko's MDMK left the UPA and Lok Dal distanced itself from it, he pointed out.
    
Though technically the Congress has BSP's support at the Centre but the situation between them is such that both are engaged in publicly denigrating each other, he said.
    
As against this, the manner in which the BJP has observed the responsibilities of alliance and continues to follow that responsibility in several states has become an "ideal in Indian politics," he said.
    
As regards BJP, Singh said the party's acceptability was continuously increasing and "we will have to work day in day out so that our acceptability increases more and more and we are accepted by everyone".
    
With the party identifying winning Karnataka as its foremost priority, he expressed confidence that the coming elections there would see a BJP government in office.
    
He also utilised the opportunity to make a veiled attack at JD(S) headed by former Prime Minister H D Devegowda saying its conduct has raised a big question mark on the credibility of the politics of alliance.
    
Singh spoke at length about the need to retain power in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan having elections later this year noting that though polls will be held in other states the eyes are fixed in BJP-ruled ones.
    
"I urge the state leadership of these states to completely engage themselves with the preparations for the electoral battle from now itself. We have much more task ahead and time is limited," he said.
    
The BJP, he said, has shattered the myth in Gujarat that the party cannot return to power twice or thrice and observed that Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan should also try to repeat this kind of success.
    
"The activists and leadership have agni-pariksha before them," he said.
    
Singh has devoted a major portion of his address to attack the UPA government on issues ranging from minority appeasement, internal security, price rise and agrarian crisis.