The Hindu : National : Exit polls exposed Opposition: Jaitley

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Wednesday, May 05, 2004

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National

Exit polls exposed Opposition: Jaitley

By Our Staff Reporter

JAMMU, MAY 4. Disagreeing with the results of exit polls, the Union Law Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson, Arun Jaitley, has said that the only beneficiary of these exercises is the National Democratic Alliance as the generation of false hopes among the Opposition leaders has exposed inherent contradictions among them. He said that in the third round of polling also the BJP would do well.

Talking to presspersons here last evening, Mr. Jaitley, who was here to campaign for his party in the Udhampur Parliament segment, said: "A tug of war has started among the Opposition leaders, which ordinarily would be seen after the elections due to false hopes created by the exit polls.

The false hopes created by the exit polls have exposed the real faces of those who have been claiming to provide an alternative to the `cohesive' NDA."

Asked whether he agreed with the prediction of these polls, he replied in the negative and said: "These exercises have given advantages to the BJP led NDA."

"Due to their acts these Opposition leaders have lost their credibility among the masses," he said, adding that those claiming to provide an alternative to the NDA had been exposed before the electorate. How could they provide an alternative to the NDA when they had been fighting with each other, he asked.

Referring to the verbal exchange between the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief, Laloo Prasad Yadav, and the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi party leader, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mr. Jaitley said: "There are personality clashes among those who have been claiming to provide a stable government to the country. Their contradictory remarks against each other have exposed their real face. There was a strong under current in favour of the BJP but the acts of the Opposition leaders after the predictions of the exit polls have turned this current into a strong wave."

Mr. Jaitley said the Opposition had formed an alliance for sheer opportunism and "there were no ideological similarities among the Opposition parties which have been claiming to provide an alternative to the NDA. We were expecting that the Opposition will formulate a common programme before elections but nothing emerged."

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