New Delhi, January 22
Putting all doubts on the leadership of BJP senior leader L.K. Advani to rest, the main opposition alliance National Democratic Alliance (NDA) today agreed to contest the next Lok Sabha poll with a common strategy and programme under his leadership while seeking inspirational guidance from former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who will continue to be the alliance chairman.
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of NDA parties at Advani’s residence. It adopted a resolution moved by NDA convener George Fernandes where the parties vowed to dislodge “the anti-poor, anti-kisan, corrupt, non-performing and an internally paralysed UPA government” and secure a decisive mandate for the NDA in the next general elections, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj told reporters.
The meeting was attended by all ally parties barring the Trinamool Congress, which had expressed its wish to attend the deliberations till late last night. National presidents of the NDA parties, leaders of the parties in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya
Sabha and all Chief Ministers of the NDA-ruled states were among those present at the meeting, Swaraj said.
Swaraj, who had acted as the NDA spokesperson during the election of former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, has been given the responsibility of liaison with the NDA allies. Vajpayee and Fernandes will take a back seat for all practical purposes while continuing to be the key figures of the opposition coalition.
The proceedings would be communicated to Vajpayee, who could not attend the meeting due to “ill health”, by the NDA leaders and NDA chief ministers later in the day.
Swaraj said the meeting also decided that the NDA Chief Ministers would hold a separate meeting to highlight the discrimination faced by them at the hands of the ruling UPA, rendering practically no help even to face calamities like floods and droughts let alone lend them a helping hand to implement welfare measures like providing rice at Rs 3 per kg in Chhattisgarh.
The Chief Ministers would bring out a document listing the cases of discrimination their states had received at the hands of the UPA government. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh alleged how the UPA had stopped supply of rice after the state announced its decision to sell rice at Rs 3 per kg to below poverty line (BPL) families.
Swaraj said the NDA would be approaching the people promising them to provide an honest and development oriented governance and a government that could give them a sense of national security.
Describing today’s meeting as a “bugle for change”, Advani said the NDA was the only alternative which could provide a “stable, cohesive and result-oriented government”.
Advani asked the NDA constituents to prepare themselves to face the coming Assembly elections in 2008, including those in Karnataka, where, he said, the Congress must be defeated. The Centre should not think of any ploy to postpone these elections, he remarked.
While conceding that the Lok Sabha elections were likely to be held in 2009 instead of his earlier assessment that it would be held in 2008, Advani said it was so because the government and the left parties were reluctant to precipitate an early elections fearing resurgence of the NDA and the BJP.
“We must chalk out a plan for a sustained campaign for agitation and mass education on issues concerning the nation and common people. The forthcoming budget session of Parliament must also be effectively used for this purpose,” Advani said.
Describing the UPA government as “one with full of internal contradictions and having a weak leadership,” Advani said because of this weakness, it had never functioned as a vibrant and cohesive entity with clear vision. People had rejected the ruling coalition as it was able to win only four of the 14 Assembly elections held between 2005 and 2007, winning only states of Assam, Manipur, Haryana and Goa accounting for mere 28 Lok Sabha seats, he added.
“Let us pledge once again to dedicate ourselves to the ideals of good governance, development and security,” Advani said. He made a special mention that he would continue to seek the “wise guidance” of Vajpayee like he had done in the past five decades.
