Public funding of elections will be BJP's agenda: Advani

Mumbai, Feb.24 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party leader Lal Krishan Advani on Tuesday said that public funding of elections would be part of its agenda for governance, a step towards rooting out corruption from politics.

"The seeds of corruption are sown in fund-raising during election campaign and expenses are growing as time passes [on]. In some countries, it is the government which bears the entire expenses," said L.K.Advani, speaking at a party function in Mumbai in which he was handed over a cheque of Rs 11 crore for election fund for which 40,600 people contributed.

Advani said public funding of elections was the need of the hour to root out corruption.

"Ours is a vibrant democracy and hence the menace of corruption should go. Public funding of elections will be part of our governance," he said adding public and private funding of elections cannot go together.

Advani, on the occasion said: "In Nagpur, the party has collected four crore rupees and another Rs. one crore has come from Jalgaon. This has always been the approach of the party to collect funds from active members as well as supporters of the party," Advani said on Tuesday.

During his speech, Advani remembered the late part strategist and popular leader Pramod Mahajan while being in Mumbai.

"I am speaking at this Shanmukhanand hall for the first time for a party function in the absence of Pramod Mahajan," Advani said.

Meanwhile, Advani also stated that it's all well with Shiv Sena-BJP alliance.

"Alliance partners have to adjust due to delimitation of constituencies. There is no problem. In fact, the NDA has been strengthened with new partners in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Assam joining in."

Also present on speaking at the function, BJP leader Gopinath Munde criticised Nationalist Congress Party president and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar by calling him a "confused leader".

"Even he himself and God do not know which party he will align with. He dreams of becoming Prime Minister! I have been hearing about his ambition since my childhood," Munde said.

Speculations of a possible Shiv Sena-NCP tie up increased after a reported meeting between Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray and Pawar. However, the Bala Sahab Thackeray, however, denied the meeting saying Pawar was his old family friend and they did not require a secret meeting place. (ANI)