BJP will win 272 seats, says Naidu

MANDATE 2004

The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 25th Foundation Day saw top party leaders addressing meetings all over the country. In step with the same agenda, BJP chief M Venkaiah Naidu addressed a public meeting in Daman and also visited Silvassa, Diu and Rajkot.

Naidu said the BJP's main poll issues are development and good governance under the leadership of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Naidu added that from just two MPs in 1984, the BJP has close to 200 MPs today. He expressed confidence that the party would win at least 272 seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections and be in a position to form the government on its own.

"The BJP is growing, becoming stronger, with each passing day, while the Congress is slowly but surely becoming non-existent," Naidu said. He added that work done by the BJP over the last five years had led to unprecedented growth and development in all sectors, far surpassing work done by the Congress in the 50 years of it's rule.

The BJP chief also stated that the coming Lok Sabha polls would be a one-sided battle as the BJP would emerge a clear winner. According to Naidu, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has an able leader in Vajpayee, while the Congress-led front is yet to decide on who to project as it's prime ministerial candidate.

When queried about the derogatory remarks made by some BJP leaders against Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Naidu said, all party leaders have been asked to exercise restraint and refrain from making personal attacks on individuals.

Addressing a gathering at the Daman Cricket Stadium, he attacked Dahya Patel, the Congress MP from Daman, saying he had proved to be a dismal failure.

During the course of his speech, Naidu also raised the Daman bridge collapse incident, in which 30 innocent school children lost their lives, saying stern action would be taken against those responsible for the mishap. Naidu added that the BJP was committed to Daman's development and urged people to vote for the party.

Naidu left for Silvassa soon after the meeting. He was accompanied by Union rural development minister Kashiram Rana, the BJP candidate from Daman constituency Gopal Tandel, and the Gujarat BJP general secretary Jayanti Kevat.

Later in the day, the BJP president attended a party meeting in Rajkot which was attended by the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi.