BJP played role in creating political culture: Advani

Bhopal, July 16 (UNI) Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and former deputy premier L K Advani today said the Jana Sangh and BJP played a crucial role in creating the ''right political culture'' in India despite ideological differences with other parties.

''The history of the Jana Sangh and BJP has been replete with struggle,'' he said here while addressing a programme to mark the the silver jubilee year of a newspaper's local edition. Mr Advani also released the BJP silver jubilee special edition.

''Though the BJP has not succeeded in bringing in a two-party system it has achieved polarisation of politics. Until sometime back, no Congress alternative could be contemplated. However, the credit for success of coalition politics goes to the BJP,'' he claimed.

Without naming the Congress, Mr Advani alleged that the parties in power for five decades after independence could not convert into reality the vision of Swaraj.

Expressing concern over paucity of social and ideological content in newspapers, former HRD minister Murli Manohar Joshi said, ''Thanks to globalisation, information technology and commercialisation, people's freedom of choice is being threatened.'' Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said criticism was being given more importance than development-linked news. He announced an annual award in memory of late journalist Manak Chand Vajpayee. It would carry a cash component of Rs 1 lakh.

''My government is also considering awards for photography, reporting and development news besides implementation of a pension scheme for scribes,'' Mr Chouhan added.

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