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Advani vows to defeat Pak.'s proxy war

Han (Gujarat) Dec. 6. Playing the nationalist card to the hilt, the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, today vowed to defeat Pakistan in its proxy war against India and charged the Congress with 50 years of ``misgovernance'' in the country.

Addressing a public meeting in this remote village known for its ceramic industries in Surendernagar district, as part of his campaign in the politically-crucial Saurashtra region for the December 12 Gujarat Assembly elections, Mr. Advani declared that the two objectives of the BJP-led Government were to make Pakistan behave and ensure that every village in the country had roads, schools and hospitals.

Recalling that Pakistan had been defeated thrice in direct confrontation with India and had now resorted to terrorism, including attacks on shrines like Akshardham, he said ``with your cooperation, Pakistan will be defeated in the proxy war''.

He did not refer to Godhra or its aftermath while campaigning in this region where the party faces an uphill task in the polls.

Mr. Advani's visit here and five public meetings in this region is itself being seen by political pundits as an indicator of the tough fight put up by the Congress.

Charging the Congress with ``missing the bus'' following the 1971 war when 93,000 Pakistani soldiers were taken as prisoners of war, Mr. Advani said ``(Zulfikar Ali) Bhutto was begging for their release and we should have made them accept Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India and thus solved the Kashmir problem for ever. We had missed in 1947 as well''.

He ridiculed the ``courage'' of the Pakistanis saying, ``had the Pakistani soldiers got killed, it would have been understandable; but surrender of 93,000 soldiers shows how brave they were''.

Charging the Congress with ``misgovernment'' for 50 years, he said, ``in 1947, we got Swaraj (self-government) but during 50 years of Congress rule we did not get Suraj (good-governance)''.

Taking exception to the Congress blaming the BJP for ``misrule'', Mr. Advani said his party had grown from a meagre two MPs in 1984 to its present strength, because people believed it to be a sincere and a nationalist party which would eliminate unemployment, corruption and poverty, besides providing water, schools and hospitals for one and all''.

Giving full credit to the former Gujarat Chief Minister, Keshubai Patel, and his successor, Narendra Modi, for the "excellent work" done in facing cyclone, earthquake, flood and drought and taking the waters of river Narmada across the State, he said ``Gujarat needs a leader like Modi to build a new State and transform Swaraj into Suraj''.

With a view to win over the local populace, he promised to arrange a meeting between the Union Railway Minister and the ceramic industry representatives to ensure that important trains halted in the area.

He also praised the Gujaratis for their hard work and making a mark across the world.

PTI, UNI

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