'Only NDA can give stability'
Advani said a fractured verdict could harm the quality of governance and affect India's progress.
Asserting that only BJP-led NDA could provide political stability in the country, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on Saturday said a fractured verdict in the Lok Sabha polls could weaken the quality of governance and affect India's progress.
"Choice before the people is either NDA or a motley crowd," he told a press conference here to conclude his campaign for the May 10 polls in the state.
"Over the past fortnight, we have witnessed some of the most brazen flip-flops and acts of political opportunism," he said, adding "Emboldened by some exit polls, there is now an unseemly scramble for power by the Congress, its allies and the so-called third front".
"Our opponents have given the country a foretaste of what to expect in the unlikely event of NDA not securing majority," he said.
Stating that India was now faced with a choice of progress or regression, Advani said "un unprincipled coalition" forged on the basis of negativism would undermine the gains made by the Vajpayee Government and it would take the country back to the chaos epitomised by six prime ministers in 10 years.
"The alternative to Vajpayee is chaos and national degradation," he said.
Criticising the Left, particulary the CPI-M, Advani said even though the Congress leadership did not project Sonia Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate in the beginning of the election campaign, top CPI-M leaders were the first to indicate she was the suitable candidate for the post.
However, Congress had ended its campaign by proclaiming Sonia Gandhi as its choice for the prime minister's post, he said, adding "it seems CPI-M first proposed the idea and Congress seconded it."
Rejecting the opposition allegation that BJP-led NDA had shaken the secular fabrics of the country, he said the combine was getting significant support from minority communities and the canard spread by the opponents against the party had been dispelled by the track record of the government.
To a question on Gujarat incidents, Advani described them as "unfortunate" and said "we have accepted the court verdict on the matter."
Appealing minority community not to be misled by the "false propaganda" of BJP's opponents any longer, he alleged Congress and the Left have used anti-BJPism as a strategy to garner block votes of minorities without attending to their educational, economic and social development.
Refuting the opposition charge that NDA had destroyed fedaralism in the country, the Deputy Prime Minister said the thrust of development was complemented by emphasis on furthering India's unity through genuine federalism.
On the question of achievements and job generation during NDA Government, Advani said a recently published report by the London School of Business had stated that 17 million new jobs had been created in India. A report in the Wall Street Journal had said India was moving towards becoming a major economic power in the world.
On the the allegation that NDA had destroyed the country in the last six years, he said analysis by objective persons had clearly shown that "India under Vajpayee has really progressed."
With a growth rate of more than eight per cent, "We have began the process of making India shine and in next five years we commit ourselves to make it shine uniformly," he said.
When asked whom the NDA would look for in the event of the NDA falling short of majority to form the Government, Advani replied he did not forsee such a situation.
"Only NDA has the vision, the policies and track record to take India to the level of a developed economy. The Congress is stuck in a dynastic time warp," Advani said.
He also said this was the first election where the incumbency factor had become the "biggest assest" for a ruling party due to its achievements.