Advani dubs Third Front a 'joke', Fourth Front a 'farce'

Mon, 20 Apr 2009

Bangalore, April 20 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) senior leader and prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani Monday termed the Third Front 'a joke' and the Fourth Front 'a farce'.

'I consider the Third Front a joke (mazaak) and a theory, while the Fourth Front is a farce because no one can form the next government at the centre without the BJP or the Congress,' Advani said at a poll rally late Monday evening.

Claiming that the BJP had given the country a bipolar polity by emerging as an alternative to the Congress, Advani said his 30-year-old party had ended the dominance of the grand old party (Congress) at the centre as well in the states.

'The BJP broke the hegemony and monopoly of the Congress at the centre by riding to power in 1998 under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Let the people decide which party administered the country better by comparing the performance of both the governments,' Advani told a gathering of about 10,000 people as it began to drizzle, driving many among the audience away. The intermittent drizzle had also led to a 90-minute delay in his arrival.

Addressing the restive audience at the National College grounds in English and Hindi, Advani said only the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) can bring about a stable government.

'Nobody wants regional or smaller parties to form the government at the centre. I do not see the Third or the Fourth Front forming the next government, as the people want a stable government that could protect the country and ensure socio-economic development. It's only the BJP-led NDA that can bring about the change,' Advani said raising his voice.

Admitting that the BJP lost in the 2004 elections due to 'over confidence' of its leaders and cadres, Advani said he had exhorted his party's rank and file to work for victory with self-confidence.

'This time, our cadres are not over confident because they are working hard doing micro-management in every polling booth. With every passing day, people are either joining the BJP or supporting us, while the UPA is disintegrating. We are getting new allies. We are no more a north-centric party but a pan Indian party with growing presence in the west, north-east and south where the first BJP government was formed in Karnataka,' Advani reiterated.

Party's general secretary and four-time Member of Parliament H.N. Ananth Kumar is the prominent candidate from the prestigious Bangalore South constituency.
Indo Asian News Service