Advani gives peptalk to ministers

No need to be apologetic on any issue: Advani

In a series of meetings held at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief M Venkaiah Naidu's house, the top BJP leadership displayed a combative mood on all the issues and injected a dose of pep-talks to senior party leaders and Cabinet ministers on the eve of Lok Sabha polls.

"There is no need to be apologetic on any issue," Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani is learnt to have told a gathering of his Cabinet colleagues who put their heads together to give fillip to the poll campaign.

"We have done nothing for which we should be ashamed of," Advani said while urging his Cabinet colleagues to focus on the government's achievements.

Similarly, Union Finance Minister Jaswant Singh echoed the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's remarks, when he said there was nothing wrong in "India Shining" campaign.

"What we are doing is to pass on the information about the country's development to people," Singh said, adding he had announced this programme, known as India development initiative, in Parliament.

Despite brave-talks by top leaders at the meeting, the controversy over life-style of Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy seemed to be lurking in the minds of the BJP leaders. Rudy shot into controversy for non-payment of the hotel bills of around Rs 2 lakh for his personal vacation.

That the BJP leadership has found itself on the cleft-stick on the issue became evident by the manner in which Naidu sought to brazen out the controversy.

"We must not discuss a case of Rs 2.5 lakh. There are many developmental projects to be debated," he said when asked if he considered such a lavish spending by the minister justified.

"The Congress is frustrated to ask for the CBI probe into the case and arrest of Rudy," he said. He said it was the system of government to put up ministers in five-star hotels.

"We must not talk about the system not individuals," he said. "I never knew that there are hotels with tariff higher than those in America," he said. Naidu, however, said, "Rudy will not be dropped from the Cabinet".

No doubt, the BJP top bosses appear rattled not only by the Rudy controversy but also the high court's decision to exonerate Rajiv Gandhi in the Bofors case. Naidu took objection to advertisement in newspapers across the country, proclaiming innocence of Rajiv Gandhi. "Who is paying for these advertisements?" he asked.

He criticised the Congress for seeking apology from the Prime Minister for including Rajiv Gandhi's name in the list of accused.

Naidu said all ministers and MPs had been asked to concentrate on their districts and do intensive campaigning. Advani has directed all party leaders to carry out the campaign in a dignified manner and focus on the developmental issues.

All ministers have been asked to co-ordinate with Naidu in order to make maximum use of their campaign all over the country. "We will be holding around 100 rallies all over the country" Naidu said.