Faridabad, March 3
Senior BJP leader and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani has appealed to people to vote for the national-level parties, in the coming Lok Sabha election and not to go for smaller and regional-level outfits, in the larger interest of the nation.

Addressing his party’s rally as part of election campaign at Anaj Mandi, Palwal in the district today, Mr Advani claimed that voting for parties like the INLD would be like waste of votes, as it would not lead to anything constructive or conclusive. Irked at the reported criticism of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, by Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, Mr Advani expressed surprise and said it was surprise for him. Avoiding direct criticism of leaders of the INLD, the HVP and the Congress, the Deputy Prime Minister focused on the “achievements” of the Vajpayee government in the past four years.

Mr Advani, whom the crowd expected to come heavily on the Congress and its leadership, said that if the people did not like the BJP for one reason or another, then they should go for the Congress rather than voting for smaller parties for stability at the Centre. He cautioned that voting for regional outfits would only be rendered useless. On the criticism of the ‘Shining India campaign’ by the opposition, the BJP leader said that the leaders and the parties should take it positively and acknowledge the achievements without going into political considerations. Giving an example of the liberation of Bangladesh in the 1971 war he said Mr Vajpayee at that time had hailed the achievement of the Indira Gandhi government and had even described Mrs Gandhi as ‘Durga’.

He said the similar sportsman like spirit should be visible now. He said the BJP-led NDA Government had many achievements to its credit but work in the fields of providing telephones, cooking gas connections and roads in the past four years was quite creditable. He said the campaign was justified and there was nothing wrong in it.

To sum up Mr Advani said he wanted the people to return sitting MP from Faridabad, Ram Chander Bainda to Parliament for the fourth time.