145;Riots only red on NDA report card146;

Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani today described the Gujarat riots as a 8216;8216;blot8217;8217; and an 8216;8216;aberration8217;8217;, but made sure to emphasise that barring those 8216;8216;unfortunate8217;8217; events, the track record of the NDA Government had been remarkable in terms of development and ensuring security in the country.

Advani was addressing officers and jawans in Ghaziabad at a function held to mark the CISF8217;s 35th Raising Day. His remarks, rather out of context, demonstrate a clear attempt by him to distance himself from the Gujarat riots. By doing so, he is looking at an image makeover in the run-up to the polls. He is also apparently trying to counter his adversaries, who have forecast communal trouble during his forthcoming 8216;Bharat Uday Yatra8217;.

Having distanced himself from the riots, Advani repeated the Sangh Parivar-line 8212; 8216;8216;had Godhra not happened, the subsequent riots would not have taken place8217;8217;. He said, 8216;8216;the developments were unfortunate and all necessary steps were taken to rectify the situation.8217;8217; Except this 8216;8216;blot8217;8217;, the six-year rule of the Vajpayee Government had been remarkable.