The Hindu : National : PM seeks vote to safeguard 'stability'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 06, 2004

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National

PM seeks vote to safeguard 'stability'

By J.P. Shukla

LUCKNOW, APRIL 5. The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is contesting from the Lucknow constituency, today sought a clear majority for the National Democratic Alliance Government in the coming Lok Sabha elections to safeguard political stability in the country.

The NDA Government was a coalition Government, but it had functioned with a sense of unity. That ended the preceding period of uncertainty when several Prime Ministers had come and gone in quick succession. The result was that the country made tremendous achievements in various fields and which were recognised by the entire world. And for this remarkable progress of the country to continue, he should be given a convincing majority, Mr. Vajpayee said.

Addressing an election meeting organised by the BJP on the arrival of the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, here during the second leg of his "Bharat Uday Yatra," both Mr. Vajpayee and Mr. Advani said the present elections were different in character. They were not only to elect a new Government and a new Lok Sabha but also to re-elect a Government which had revived the confidence of the country. The achievements of the Vajpayee Government were greater than those of the previous Governments, they claimed.

Mr. Vajpayee said the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, had remarked that he only dreamt the dreams of Mungerilal. "It is true that I had dreams but I had converted those dreams into reality. There has been 10.4 per cent growth in the GDP during the last quarter of the financial year, from an importer the country has become an exporter of grains and the national debt has been reduced. The rate of inflation has been almost nil and prices have been controlled."

Refuting the claims made by the Congress that his Government had failed to take steps to control unemployment, he said that while the rise in unemployment was a process related to the rise in population, his Government had created 88 lakh new jobs. Whether the Congress accepted it or not, the truth could not be falsified.

In the same vein, the Prime Minister criticised the Congress for saying that he had been a police witness during the Quit India movement of 1942.The allegation had been made in the past too but it had no substance. He had never been an approver or a police witness, Mr. Vajpayee said expressing outrage at this kind of character assassination being done to win the elections. He wanted politicians to stick to accepted norms of political behaviour.

The two leaders utilised the occasion to clear the air regarding the Opposition "propaganda" that there existed differences between them. "Where are the differences?" asked Mr. Vajpayee. "Agar Advaniji na chahate, to main Prime Minister nahin banata" (If Advani had not willed, I would not have become the Prime Minister). Theirs was a companionship of 50 years and there were some people who did not like it. Only these people talked of differences between them.

Earlier, the Prime Minister welcomed Mr. Advani as his yatra entered his constituency. Other senior BJP leaders, including the Union Agriculture Minister, Rajnath Singh, the former Chief Minister, Kalyan Singh, the Uttar Pradesh BJP chief, Vinay Katiyar, and the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Lalji Tandon, addressed the gathering.

While Mr. Vajpayee is staying here for the night to proceed to Guwahati tomorrow for electioneering, Mr. Advani's yatra left for Ayodhya where he is scheduled to address a meeting in the evening.

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