The Hindu : Vajpayee Govt. a role model, says Advani

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 28, 2003

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Vajpayee Govt. a role model, says Advani

By Sunny Sebastian

CHARBHUJA (Rajasthan) April 27. The Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, today termed the Vajpayee Government a model of good governance and appealed to the people to help install such governments in all the States going to the polls this year.

The Vajpayee Government had successfully completed five years in power and "we are proud of our achievements during all the five years," he said, flagging off the Rajasthan BJP's pre-election road show, "parivartan yatra", from this pilgrim town, 105 km from Udaipur. It would go round all the 200 Assembly constituencies for the next 70 days.

Mr. Advani said the 50 years of Independence did not bring about any "parivartan" (change) in the country. ``I have come here to see off Vasundharaji. This is the beginning of change for the whole country. Let the process start from Rajasthan."

The State unit president, Vasundhara Raje Scindia, who would lead the yatra, said "my effort would be to understand the people's problems and empathise with them," while charging the Ashok Gehlot Government in Rajasthan with forgetting its "rajdharma" after coming to power with a "brute majority".

"It is our aim to make India a developed nation by 2020. For this each State needs good governance, a good leader and a corruption-free administration,'' Mr. Advani said, steering clear of all controversial issues, including the recent crackdown on the "trishul diksha" programme by the Rajasthan Government. He did not touch upon `Hindutva', Indo-Pak. relations or Kashmir, while addressing a predominantly tribal audience, which started leaving the venue in small groups after sitting in the sun for over four hours. Instead, he concentrated on drought and development and was also reminiscent on his own rath yatra. ``Rath yatras bring you closer to the people. You come across their problems,'' Mr. Advani said, recollecting his four yatras, which pitchforked the BJP into national dominance in the past.

On drought, Mr. Advani said the Centre had been very helpful to the States for combating the calamity. "Never before the Centre gave so much assistance and so much grains to the affected States as we did in 2002," he said.

However, the dream package for Rajasthan in the eyes of the BJP leadership seemed to be the linking of rivers. The theme was mentioned by Mr. Advani and also by the party general secretary in-charge, Pramod Mahajan, who briefly addressed the crowd.

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