New Delhi

April 15, 2004

Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani on Thursday boasted that he saw "a pro-incumbency wave in favour of NDA (National Democratic Alliance)" but it was a give-away when he talked of the success in this Lok Sabha election "more than that in 1998 and 1999" and not a landslide
sweep.

He, however, candidly admitted that the "wave" was his personal assessment based on the experience gained from 14 Lok Sabha elections which only the results will show as right or wrong.

"You may differ with me. You may say I am wrong but let us wait for the results,..anti-incumbency wave is easy to discern." he said while replying at an overcrowded Press conference at the BJP Headquarters after culmination of his 8540-km yatra that took him through 15 states and
Chandigarh covering 128 constituencies.

The wave was not situational like one after 1971 war or emergency but certainly and remarkably because of six years of performance of the Vajpayee government, he said.

He, however, tactfully skirted two pointed questions on the Supreme Court's severe strictures against the Gujarat Government of Narendra Modi describing him as "modern day Nero." First he said "everybody will follow the Supreme Court's decision." Pressed again, he said: "I feel the Gujarat
Government will respect and implement the Supreme Court's decision." This or the "sad tragedy" of Lucknow will, however, have "no impact on polls,"

Yet another embarrassing question on the Congress charging him with corruption in the purchase of the AK-47 rifles was also brushed aside by him, pointing out that the Home Ministry had already issued the statement and "nothing is left now for me to add."

SHINING: For the first time, Advani also sought to stress that the BJP and the Government never claimed that India shines now and sought to explain the difference between India "chamak raha hai" (is shining) and "Chamak gaya hai" (shines). India will shine only when it becomes a fully
developed country. The difference is like someone waking up and someone fully awake, he pointed out.

When asked to comment on remarks of communication wizard Sam Pitroda, now a days campaigning for Congress, that the BJP has torn the last leaf of the progress book of the Congress governments to take credit for "shining
India," Advani said he would have been happy if the Congress had staked claim instead of flatly denying the fact that "India is shining." Had Pitroda made them wiser earlier, the Congress would not have debunked and denied progress of the country, he said.

Advani said his worry was that the Congress has abandoned any kind of thinking and that may result in a "uni-polar" politics of single party as once it used to be when it was "uni-polar" politics of Congress. It is in the national interest to have a bipolar politics (of two main political parties), Advani said while putting the Congress in the opposition role
bystressing that "BJP has become a natural party of governance."

KASHMIR: He also stressed that the Government would not react to the Hurriyat Conference not giving a poll boycott call but in effect doing so by stating that the (Lok Sabha) elections would not serve any purpose in Jammu and Kashmir and so they will keep away from it. From his last round
of talks with them last month, he had an impression that they won't boycott the polls but then they are under lot of pressure because of their decision to hold talks with the Indian Government, Advani said.

He had also told the Hurriyat leaders during the second round of talks last month that further talks would be possible only in June after the new government is formed and he had also told them that "hopefully we will come back to power."

MINORITIES: The Deputy Prime Minister also claimed that in his assessment six years of the Vajpayee Government's rule has "impelled minorities to have a second look at BJP" and "quite a large number has come to conclusion that the hate mongering against the BJP by Congress and some other parties was completely baseless."

He, however, admitted that he can not say if this will reflect in the elections as all that he can say today candidly is that the BJP's candidates "will get support from all sections."

Asked if the Prime Minister had demoralised the BJP and affected its winning chances by stating that it would be the last election for him as well as for his opponent Ram Jethmalani whom he wanted to withdraw for his sake, Advani quipped that Vajpayee had only stated factual position as he
and Ram had been friends for long time.

As regards his "Yatra" he undertook for 33 days to campaign for the BJP and NDA allies, Advani said it gave him the firsthand experience about the diversity of progress from "Bangalore and Hyderabad as modern technological centres to villages of Nawada in Bihar and Kalahandi in Orissa." What a contrast, he remarked.

He said the highest response to his yatra came from Bihar. The people were angry with the state government as to why Bihar had been left behind while rest of India is progressing under the Vajpayee Government. Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa were other states where he got good
response, Advani said.