Session over, Vajpayee points to early elections

Indicating that the party should prepare for mid-term polls, former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today asked BJP MPs to 8216;8216;k...

Indicating that the party should prepare for mid-term polls, former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today asked BJP MPs to 8216;8216;keep in touch with their constituencies8217;8217;, saying the UPA Government was 8216;8216;a victim of instability.8217;8217;

Addressing the party8217;s parliamentary board meeting on the final day of the Monsoon Session, Vajpayee said, 8216;8216;The UPA Government is a victim of instability and every now and then one hears of a mid-term poll, which makes things worse between the partners and supporters of this government. All you MPs must do your duty inside and outside Parliament and keep in touch with your constituencies. I appreciate your role in raising crucial issues in Parliament and they must be carried to the people.8217;8217;

In fact, BJP leaders appeared to be in a self-congratulatory mood at the meeting in Parliament House this morning when it claimed credit for its 8216;8216;strong and constructive opposition8217;8217; and for exposing 8216;8216;the wrongdoings of the UPA8217;8217; on several issues.

According to party spokesperson, V K Malhotra, party president L K Advani congratulated BJP MPs in both Houses for 8216;8216;its constructive approach as an Opposition party.8217;8217;

Said Advani, 8216;8216;We gave support on several issues but we also opposed the wrongdoings of the government, and it was because of our strong opposition that an UPA Union Minister Jagdish Tytler was forced to resign.8217;8217;

Advani highlighted the fact that the BJP forced the Government to accept two adjournment motions8212;on the IMDT Act and on the Action Taken Report on the Justice Nanavati Commission8217;s findings on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in New Delhi.

Advani also raised the Women8217;s Reservation Bill by criticising Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for her 8216;8216;baseless allegations against the BJP.8217;8217; Sonia had accused the BJP of going back on its support to the bill. Advani reiterated the BJP8217;s commitment to the bill 8216;8216;in any form8217;8217; as long as 8216;8216;there was an all-party consensus8217;8217;.

Advani meets Keshubhai

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NEW DELHI: In yet another exercise to quell the growing BJP dissidence in Gujarat, party president L.K. Advani on Tuesday met rebel leader Keshubhai Patel who has been waging a long but hitherto unsuccessful campaign against Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Advani held two meetings with Patel who had recently stepped up the 8216;8216;oust-Modi8217;8217; campaign. But Patel, after the luncheon meeting with Advani, is back where he started 8212; with more promises that his grievances would be looked into. Both Advani and Patel declined to speak to the media after the meeting.

Despite Advani8217;s open support for Modi, sources say the Patel camp had not lost hopes of the BJP chief taking action, as he had patiently heard their grievances, including their 8216;8216;anguish8217;8217; over the CM8217;s 8216;8216;style of functioning.8217;8217; Advani is expected to take up the issue with Modi who is scheduled to arrive here on Tuesday to attend a National Integration Council meeting on Wednesday. In a related development, yet another dissident leader and MP, Kashiram Rana, met party general secretary Pramod Mahajan.

On another troubled front in Karnataka, Advani made BJP state legislature party leader B.S. Yediyurappa and national general secretary Ananth Kumar, sit together in a bid to bury their differences. 8212; ENS