Governance to be BJP poll plank: Advani

Setting aside the fear of raking up emotive issues related to Ayodhya and Pakistan, Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani today said the party's theme for the campaign in the Assembly elections and the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls would be "good governance".

Advani said the issue of "good governance" had acquired prominence in the present political scenario.

"Those providing good governance will be given a mandate to rule," he said at the residence of Madan Lal Khurana, the chief ministerial candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for Delhi.

That the emotive issues were far from the party's political agenda at the national level was made clear by Advani when he said the party had won the Goa elections on this issue despite the Congress attempt to capitalise on the Gujarat riots.

"Our opponents tried to win over the minorities by referring to Gujarat but the issue of good governance saw the BJP through," he said.

Unlike other BJP leaders like party president M Venkaiah Naidu and general secretary Pramod Mahajan, Advani was cautious in his remarks about the possible outcome of the polls.

But he said the electorate would opt for those providing, clean and able administration. Advani said he was the first to raise the issue of good governance when he launched his "su-raj yatra" in 1997.

Advani's comments assume significance in view that the BJP is going ahead with its plan to launch a propaganda to highlight the economic buoyancy.

"There is feel good factor in the country because of the good governance given by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee," said Venkaiah Naidu.

BJP leaders made it clear that the party was not in favour of raking up any emotive issues which could rejuvenate campaign of the organisations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on communal lines.