Pilot asks Jaya to "ditch" BJP

Pilot, who arrived here en route to Thiruvananthapuram from Bangalore, said it was Jayalalitha who had `openly extended support to the BJP-led coalition and hence it is for her to take the initiative to pull out.”

Asked whether the Congress would accept the support if the AIADMK offered it, pilot said he could not comment as the situation had not yet arisen.

Asked to comment on the Prime Minister A B Vajpayee’s observation that there was no alternative to the BJP-led coalition at theCentre, Pilot said the government with `such a lot of internal contradiction should go.’

Pilot said the government had no `principles’. While the prime minister spoke about national agenda, Union Home Minister L K Advani spoke about BJP agenda and Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the RSS spoke about their own agendas, he charged.

Asked about the observation of the BJP that the recent Pachmarhi conclave of the Congress had ended with more confusion and contradiction, Pilot denied it saying that it was a major success.

He said there was no leadership crisis in the party and Sonia Gandhi was its `undisputed leader’. He also denied reports that senior leader Sharad Pawar was distancing himself from the Congress leadership.

Referring to his party’s position, Pilot said the situation in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar was not good, but `we are doing our best to strengthen the party and succeeded to a large extent.’