Sonia should own up defeats in Punjab and Uttrakhand : Advani

New Delhi, Mar 7 (UNI) Stating that Congress President Sonia Gandhi had a ''tendency'' to shift the blame on others, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani today asked her to ''own up'' the defeats in Punjab and Uttarakhand elections.

Addressing the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, Mr Advani said price rise was one of the ''many'' reasons for defeat but Ms Gandhi being the ''centre point'' of the UPA government and with several state governments ''under her thumb, she cannot possibly blame it on others''.

''Basically it was a vote against soft handling of terror, bad governance and appeasement of the Muslims,'' he said.

Ms Gandhi in her address to the Congress Parliamentary Party yesterday had held price rise as the prime factor responsible for her party's defeat in the assembly elections in the two northern states.

He said it was obvious from the election results that the people looked towards BJP as the ''alternative'' at the national level. He said time was ripe that the party leaders and cadres should strengthen the party structure when ''the positive wind'' was sweeping across the country.

The coming elections in Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat were the future goals where the party will have to reassert its primacy, Mr Advani said.

BJP President Rajnath Singh said the focus of the MPs should be the coming elections in UP and Delhi as both states were important for the party's march towards ''Delhi''. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee presided over the meeting.

UNI