BJP now says Advani did not praise PM

Leader of the Opposition LK Advani on Saturday discussed the BJP’s strategy against the UPA government within and without Parliament with senior leaders such as Jaswant Singh, Arun Jaitley, Arun Shourie and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi’s presence was significant, said BJP officials, as the party is thinking of hosting a conference of chief ministers belonging to the NDA to highlight the alleged discriminative approach of the Congress-led UPA government at the centre.

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy clarified that Advani had not praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he addressed FICCI’s annual meeting on Friday.

“A section of the media has made out that Advani praised the PM and the economic policies of the UPA government. This is not correct. He had merely said the BJP had backed the economic reforms initiated by Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and Finance Minister Manmohan Singh.”

The BJP also sought to raise the issue of Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin in the wake of the Election Commission notice to her over accepting a Belgian award.

“Why are charges related to her commitment to the nation coming up again and again? Why is it that her allegiance and devotion to the nation gets shrouded?” Rudy asked.

Referring to her resignation in the wake of the Office of Profit controversy, he asked, “Why is it that holding such a position as the president of the Congress, she lands up in situations where her unfamiliarity with the Constitution gets reflected?”

He said the country would like to know how many nations Gandhi owed allegiance to. “Why is it happening with her on and off? The country would like to know,” he said.