After working towards peace with Pakistan and normalisation in Jammu and Kashmir, Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani said the next aim of the BJP-led Government — if it returns to power — would be to bridge the gap between Hindus and Muslims so that they cannot be treated as ‘‘votebanks.’’ Addressing a public rally in Bareilly today, he said that the relations between the two communities were already on the road to improvement. ‘‘If our government returns, I assure you that no party will be able to treat either Hindus or Muslims as mere votebanks. The relations between the two will become more equal,’’ he said, in an obvious reference to how parties, specially in UP, went out of their way to woo minorities. Advani conceded that Uttar Pradesh had been a matter of concern for the BJP while deciding in favour of early elections. ‘‘But now I can see that the mood in the state is changing — becoming favourable for the BJP,’’ he said, not forgetting to acknowledge the significance of Kalyan Singh’s return. Though election dates were yet to be announced, it was clear the BJP was in the election mode. Most of Advani’s speech focused on the achievements of the NDA government under Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and why they should be voted back into power. Terming Vajpayee’s leadership as suraaj and sushasan — good governance — the DPM talked of the strides India had taken at the international level and also about the self-confidence that had been generated among the people. Though he refrained from using the term ‘‘feelgood’’, the young among the crowd kept chanting ‘‘feelgood’’ and ‘‘feel better.’’ Advani said the coming elections will not be ordinary since they would decide the future of the country. ‘‘Both the President (A.P.J. Abdul Kalam) and the PM have kept the target of making India a developed nation by 2020. And only the government under Vajpayeeji can do it,’’ he said. Earlier, BJP leaders, including Union Minister Rajnath Singh, UP BJP chief Vinay Katiyar and former CM Kalyan Singh, raked up the issue of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin. Advani said he felt sorry for her ‘‘when she says something against Vajpayeeji’’. He was referring to her criticism of Vajpayee as to how he could run the country by writing poems. Sharing the platform with him at the rally was the party’s new entrant Maneka Gandhi — at her first rally since she joined.
