Vajpayee for toning party up

Sink differences and work as a unit: PM tells BJP leaders

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 79th birthday was imbued by the smells and sounds of impending elections.

Asking the partymen to gear up for polls to ensure a second term for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition at the Centre, he said BJP's adversaries would not be able to cobble together a coalition despite attempts.

Addressing BJP workers who had come to greet him on his 79th birthday, he said there was no room for complacency after the party's victory in the three states because "it is victory but that does not mean we can rest. Time is of essence," he said further fuelling speculation that elections might be advanced. "Vijay hai, per vishram nahi. Samay ka mahatva hai," he said.

In an interview to Hindi daily Dainik Jagaran, Vajpayee also conceded that the party needed to be toned up in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and that the timing of the Lok Sabha elections would be decided by the party after consultation.

In his interview, the Prime Minister was more explicit saying there were many in the party who thought the elections should be advanced, and that he had an open mind on the issue.

"The Lok Sabha polls have to be held sooner or later. This will definitely figure at the national executive. Many people feel the situation is favourable but a decision has to be taken after considering all aspects."

On the BJP's position in UP and Bihar, which together account for more seats than the five states where Assembly polls were recently held, and the party's claim that it would get 300 seats, Vajpayee said: "It is true we have to improve ourselves in UP and Bihar and the organisation needs to be tightened before the polls to make it more effective."

At the workers' meeting, the Prime Minister was blunt about the challenges before the BJP. He said infighting would rob the party of victory and asked workers to sink differences and work as one man.

He said the party was earlier known to be adept at working together but lately there had been some deficiencies, which needed to be overcome.

In an obvious reference to the Congress, he said though others were also trying to firm up alliances, they would not succeed.

To a question whe-ther the people would give a mandate in favour of a single party like they did in the recent Assembly polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Vajpayee said, "In these states only we (BJP and Congress) were present. Who was the third?"

Asked whether BJP was prepared to take an initiative so that episodes like Judeo and Jogi were not repeated as he had himself stated in Parliament that these sounded an alarm bell for the country's democracy, Vajpayee said his statement was not aimed at particular persons.

"It is a question of character and morality of political parties. The BJP has been taking initiatives in such matters. We never hesitated to disown even our senior colleagues after they were charged with indulging in corrupt practices. Now a race is on to prove which party is less corrupt whereas the race should be who should bring probity in public life," he said.

Replying to a question that he had spent most of his precious years in fighting 118-year old Congress ideology and whether its present position augured well for the democracy, he said, "the Congress has done its duty towards the country. It has served the country for a long time. Now it has to adopt a new look or be prepared to be lost in history."

Asked whether the Congress ideology or the leadership was responsible for its present position, Vajpayee said, "the party has come to this pass because of deviation from its ideology."