Advani rules out post-poll alliance with BJD

LK Advani said that the Naveen Patnaik-led regional party has not only betrayed the BJP but also the people of the state.

Ruling out any truck with Biju Janta Dal (BJD) in Orissa after elections,BJP prime ministerial candidate LK Advani said on Wednesday that the Naveen Patnaik-led regional party has not only betrayed the BJP but also the people of the state who fear the return of Congress’ “misrule”.

“I don’t see any possibility of BJP forging alliance with BJD after the polls in view of all that has happened in the last few weeks. Our earnest endeavour now is to emerge victorious on our own,” he told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

Asserting that BJP would convert the challenge thrown by collapse of its alliance with BJD into an opportunity to win the elections,Advani said “BJD has betrayed not only BJP but also the people of Orissa because they do not want the Congress misrule to return”.

The BJD-BJP alliance had brought two major non-Congress forces together and created confidence among the people that the “misrule” of Congress could be ended only by supporting us,he said.

Accusing BJD of betraying BJP by taking a hasty and unilateral decision,Advani said its miscalculation and misadventure,arising out of an exaggerated sense of its strength,would surely cost BJD dearly,he said.

Refuting Naveen Patnaik’s allegation that BJP was pursuing a hidden agenda of communalism,Advani said talks on seat sharing for polls were on for quite some time and at no point of time BJD raised this issue. The alliance broke over seat sharing,he said.

Maintaining that BJP was not in favour of breaking the alliance,Advani said the decade-long alliance with BJD in Orissa was the most stable anti-Congress alliance in the history of the state.

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“It helped in liberating the state from the corrupt and anti-people rule of the Congress,” he said adding he was deeply disappointed when BJD left the NDA last month. He asked the voters to cast their vote in such a manner which showed their disapproval of “BJD’s betrayal as well as shatter Congress’ dreams in the state and at the Centre”.

Citing examples of states like Karnataka,Advani said BJP would certainly convert the challenge and crisis into an opportunity in Orissa.