After Left, BJP’s turn to slam US for F-16 deal

Advani also slammed the UPA government for the manner in which it has handled the whole issue. ‘‘Why only America, even the UPA Government should explain to the nation the reasons behind the US’ move, favouring Pakistan in the supply of the combat jet,’’ he said.

Advani was here this morning to inaugurate the state’s first open university — one of the three proposed by the Raman Singh government. One university has been named after Pt Sundarlal Sharma, a noted freedom fighter, also known as Chhattisgarh’s Mahatma Gandhi. The other two would be called Swami Vivekanand Technical University and Kushabhau Thakre University for Journalism and Mass Communication.

Asked about the growing dissidence in Gujarat, Advani said the problem would be resolved soon, terming it an issue of ‘‘internal party democracy’’.

‘‘We have never suppressed internal democracy in the party. We have never stopped partymen from speaking against their leader, which is not a tradition in any other party. Yet, while doing so, we also try to strike a balance between the internal party democracy and discipline. Thus, Gujarat is not a different case for us,’’ Advani said.

The BJP president, who has summoned the dissidents to New Delhi on Thursday, said: ‘‘we have been successful in resolving such issues in the party before and this is not a big deal now.’’ While he said the post-poll developments in three states has severely dented the UPA’s image, Advani parried questions on the possibility of a mid-term poll. ‘‘I can only say this much that it’s a very fragile alliance.’’

Stating how the BJP has improved its performance in Jharkhand — a state where the party could win just one out of the 13 Lok Sabha seats but reversed the trend by winning 36 Assembly seats — Advani said the UPA constituents have eroded the credibility of the alliance by contesting elections against each other.

‘‘To further dent its image, the Congress misused the offices of the Governors and circumvented the Anti-Defection Law in its bid to form the governments. It was a grim reminder of the 1975 days of Indira Gandhi,” Advani said.