Advanis Left-handed compliment to Cong

A subdued Advani also said that,in a way,the results vindicated the BJP8217;s call for a bipolar polity,with smaller parties in the third and 8220;fourth8221; fronts wiped out. It gave the BJP full Opposition space,he said.

The senior BJP leader admitted that the people had given the Congress another chance to perform without the Communists,8221;who had created hurdles in its working8221;.

He promised to ensure that the UPA Government worked on bringing black money back to India 8212; which was among the top issues in the BJP8217;s poll campaign in the state 8212; and to urge the Government to consider holding elections simultaneously for the Lok Sabha and Assemblies. Advani also favoured single-phase voting rather than polling spread over a long period,and said the pleasant weather of February was ideal to hold elections.

While he skipped the issue of Ram temple and the fight against terrorism,Advani was full of praise for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi,saying he was proud to represent a state with him as its leader. 8220;Twenty-first century comes with blessings for Gujarat because,since 2001,Narnedra Modi has been at the helm,8221; he said.

Modi himself said his position was like cricketer Sachin Tendulkar8217;s,who was judged not on credit or discredit but expectations. This,he claimed,was a matter of satisfaction for him.