Two weeks after the BJP lost the Lok Sabha polls, former deputy prime minister L K Advani finally broke his silence on the shock defeat, with a new slogan for the party rank and file—‘‘We shall return’’. Speaking to the media formally for the first time after the loss, Advani admitted the failure of the India Shining and feel-good campaigns, but termed the election results an ‘‘aggregate of state verdicts’’. He reitereated the party commitment to Hindutva, but hastened to add that the party cared for ‘‘every Indian, irrespective of their caste and creed’’. Advani, who is tipped to become the Leader of the Oppostion in the Lok Sabha, said it was just a ‘‘temporary jolt’’. He pointed out that the Congress was only seven seats ahead of the BJP. The electoral verdict, according to him, implied that the new government rule by consensus, not only within the ruling alliance but also with the Opposition. He said this was not only desirable but also imperative, given the nature of the mandate. When asked about Sonia Gandhi’s decision not to accept the prime ministership, the BJP leader said: ‘‘It has brought relief to the country.’’ The issue may have failed to click at the hustings but Advani said the BJP remained committed to the stand that people of foreign origin should not hold high offices. He said it was a political and not a personal issue for the BJP. Regarding the inclusion of tainted ministers in the Congress-led coalition, Advani regretted that a person with a clean image like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has to ‘‘defend’’ them. He said even though there had been instances of condoning of crime and criminals for political expediency, it was the first time when crime and criminals had been rewarded. Advani added that the party would constitute a committee to analyse the causes of defeat after the new national executive was in place. However, his own assessment was that no single factor accounted for the poll outcome. In some states, the BJP lost along with its allies. In some others, the party did not have proper alliances. In urban constituencies, it was due to a low turnout of ‘‘our supporters’’.
