The Hindu : National : Bid to demonise Modi won't succeed: Advani

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 30, 2005

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National

Bid to demonise Modi won't succeed: Advani

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party president L. K. Advani has said that it was unfortunate that they had to boycott Parliament. It may be helpful to the party in narrow terms but it was not in the interest of the country. He had conveyed his feelings on this to the top leader of the ruling United Progressive Alliance Government.

"After all, if they [UPA Government] continue to make mistakes like Goa, Jharkhand and Bihar, it helps us," he said in an interview to "Star News."

He however, rejected the notion that the BJP was equally responsible for abdicating its responsibility in Parliament. "We have been discharging our duties as people's representatives by articulating our position outside Parliament."

Asked if the BJP was deliberately being ambiguous about its position on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and the riots, he said that efforts to "demonise Narendra Modi" would not succeed.

"Vindictive manner"

Mr. Advani said the UPA Government had acted in a "vindictive manner" by constituting a three-member ministerial team to probe allegations against Mr. Modi by a police officer. "We also could have done it against the Bihar government during the National Democratic Alliance regime." He termed the "anti-Modi" campaign by the UPA Government and even the TDP and the JD(U) as an attempt to win over minority votes.

He said, "in fact, the issue of the first and second generation leadership had been hyped unnecessarily by the media... we have capable leaders in the second generation, even more capable than me."

UNI

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