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"Generational change in BJP"

BJP, Left have structured set-up: Jaitley

New Delhi: Admitting that the BJP was in the process of undergoing change where the second generation leaders would emerge on top, party general secretary Arun Jaitley on Sunday said the party top guns Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani were actively encouraging new leadership.

Claiming that it was only the BJP and the Left parties which had a "structured political set-up" in the country, Mr. Jaitley said the party was going through the process of generational change and today, only these two parties were supporting and encouraging such a step.

Speaking to CNN-IBN in an interview, he said most political parties in the country, including the Congress, were "family, personality or caste driven." Mr. Jaitley said the generational change was already on in the BJP-ruled States with almost all the Chief Ministers in their early 50s and the situation was the same in the central leadership of the party.

"The leadership change does not happen by default, but it is a conscious choice," he said.

"Survey results a paradox"

Virtually debunking the recent survey that gave a 4.5 per cent advantage to the ruling UPA vis-a-vis the NDA coalition if elections were held, the BJP said it was a paradox that such a conclusion was drawn at a time when people were dissatisfied with the Government on every possible issue one could think of.

The UPA, he said, was caught in the contradiction between the Left and its own policies and no new policy initiative was forthcoming. The handling of the economy by the Government was disastrous and the prices were reaching the sky. The eight per cent growth rate was essentially entrepreneurial driven, Mr. Jaitley charged.

Crumbling security

On the security situation, he said: "If it is not collapsing, it is crumbling" as the ability to take decisions and enforce them was not there.

UNI

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