BJP top guns in high spirits after Advani’s ‘bright’ remark

After BJP patriarch LK Advani's thumbs up for the party, the mood has perked up with top leaders - Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitely and Rajnath Singh - declaring today the hopes of a positve outcome for their party in the 2014 polls. Shekhar Iyer reports.

After BJP patriarch LK Advani's thumbs up for the BJP, the mood in the party has perked up with top BJP leaders - Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitely and Rajnath Singh - declaring on Monday a the hopes of a positve outcome for their party in the 2014 polls.

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Their assertion came two days after Advani said he was again seeing "bright" prospects for his party.

These leaders, who are seen as second only to Narendra Modi as BJP's prominent faces, were addressing BJP women workers in the capital, who are to play a key role in the party's campaign.

Sporting a saffron turban against the backdrop of a huge picture showing roaring lions, Swaraj said, "We couldn't be part of the freedom struggle, we were born after 1947, but now we will be a part of the 'freedom from Congress' battle."

She also hinted at the possibility of early elections, saying: "Mission 2014 can also be mission 2013."

On the BJP's poll strategy, she said, "In the upcoming assembly elections, we have to snatch states from the Congress and defend ours. This is our aim."

Former BJP president Nitin Gadkari alleged that the Congress is creating a fear psychosis in the minds of the Muslims that if BJP is voted to power it will do grave injustice to them.

"They are giving this wrong impression for votebank politics... BJP is not against Muslims but against terrorism," he said.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitely said the nation was waiting to vote in the BJP. "The people are fed up of the UPA rule. Their response will be overwhelmingly for the BJP."

BJP chief Rajnath Singh said, "We have to achieve our mission in 2014. We have to form the government in India under the leadership of BJP in 2014 so that we can take India to the pinnacle of glory."

He told BJP workers that "you might have seen how the Congress has come up with new definitions of poverty. Those sitting in power have no understanding about the pains of poverty. I would like to tell the leaders sitting in power that if you want to see poverty, don't see it in statistics. If you want to see poverty, look into the eyes of the poor."