BJP anointed Advani to keep Modi away from Centre: PM

GUJARAT GOES TO POLLS

A day after the BJP declared that former deputy prime minister LK Advani will be the party's prime ministerial candidate in the next General Elections, there were a mixed bag of reactions to the news.

An unusually aggressive Prime Minister Manmohan Singh declared in Vadodara, where he had gone to address an election rally, that it was the fear of Modi seeking space at the Centre which led to the surprise announcement yesterday. "Modi se khatra tha isliye Advani ji ki taj poshi kar di hai," he said.

Reacting to the prime minister's statement on Advani, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said: "The statement by the prime minister is a reluctant and open admission of the fact that Modi is the undisputed leader in Gujarat. The prime minister's statement is a reflection of his frustration, for despite occupying the prime minister's chair, he has failed to perform."

Contrary to the prime minister's remark, Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav declared his party to be firmly behind the decision.

"We have no objection. It is not a problem for us," JD(U) President Sharad Yadav said. He added, "The BJP is the largest ally of the NDA and it is for that party to take a decision. So, his (Advani's) choice is all but natural."

Asked whether the image of the former deputy prime minister as a Hindutva hardliner was acceptable to the JD(U), Yadav said 'it was not a factor.' To another question on whether the JD(U) too would toe the Hindutva line, Yadav said, "So long the NDA is bound by the national agenda of governance, there is no problem."

Meanwhile, in his characteristic style, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav said the post of prime minister was not in Advani's 'horoscope.' "The post of prime minister is not in his (Advani's) horoscope." Prasad said on the sidelines of a function here.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal hailed the elevation of LK Advani as the BJP's candidate for the post of prime minister 'as a very significant and positive development for the country.'

In a statement in Chandigarh, Badal said that as a close confidant of Atal Behari Vajpayee for many many years, Advani had always made an unmatched contribution to the emergence of opposition unity in the critical days of the Congress misrule. Badal described Advani as an able, highly competent administrator and a far-sighted leader.