Advani says a disunited party was to blame for LS poll setback

Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani has at last admitted that public perception that BJP was “not a united house” had disillusioned the party’s supporters and workers and was a major factor behind the disappointing result in the Lok Sabha polls.

“In my view, no factor hurt us more in the last Parliamentary elections than the public image that the BJP was not a united house. Not only the people at large, but even our own supporters were disillusioned,” he said in his concluding remarks at the party’s National Council at Indore on Friday. Advani emphasised on regaining unity and discipline within the party which were its “traditional strength”. He claimed that the 2009 poll verdict was not a positive mandate in favour of the previous UPA government’s performance. “Looking back, it is clear that people’s concern for political stability, coupled with their disillusionment with the goings on in the BJP, overshadowed their general disappointment with the UPA government’s performance,” he said.

Despite the RSS and the NDA endorsing Advani as the prime ministerial candidate in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, infighting over running of the poll campaign and bickering over ticket distribution between his camp and the other led by then BJP president Rajnath Singh had seriously hit the party’s bid to oust the Manmohan Singh-led UPA from power. As a result, BJP’s strength came down from 138 to 116 seats.

Advani also gave suggestions to his party cadre on how to tread the road ahead to the 2014 elections. “Gadkari was absolutely right in saying that individual ambitions must always be subservient to the party’s goals and party’s decisions,” he said, alluding to the infighting among the second rung BJP leaders who fought bitterly for supremacy in the party.

Striking a positive note, he said the BJP had “leadership depth” with third generation party leader Gadkari taking over the party reins. “His (Gadkari’s) team, I am sure, will feature several persons from the fourth generation of leadership. Simultaneously, the party is spotting and grooming the most promising activists and leaders who are younger still,” he said.

The BJP has blamed futures trading in the commodity market for rising food prices. “The BJP believes that the most important reason for price rise, apart from incompetence and lack of leadership, is rampant corruption. Members of the cabinet have made money through futures trading in the commodity market,” senior party leader Yashwant Sinha said on Friday. Sinha was presenting the BJP’s economic resolution at its national council meeting.

- Asian Tribune -