Vijay Goel backs Advani as PM, later takes U-turn

, April 6: Delhi

president Vijay Goel on Saturday suggested senior leader L K Advani's nam as the "head of the government" after the next Lok Sabha polls, hinting at prevailing lack of unison in the party over its prime ministerial conference.

Goel, who was speaking at a programme on the occasion of the party's 33rd foundation day, said the party would register a victory in the next polls under Advani's leadership.

The Delhi unit chief said the BJP was strengthened by two veteran leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani and although Vajpayee has been unwell, the party would still come to power under Advani's leaderhip.

Later, however, Goel said he was nobody to decide on the PM candidate's name and it was a job of the parliamentary board.

The BJP has been pushing Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate despite certain difference within the party and the NDA and recently Modi was even inducted in the party's central parliamentary board. He is the only BJP chief minister to feature in the board.

Today's BJP different from my idea of party: Advani

Meanwhile, Advani said at the foundation day programme that the BJP should not feel sorry about its role in the Ayodhya movement and rather take pride in its stand on the issue.

Advani is the man behind the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in the early 1990s which led to the demolition of the Babri mosque at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

Speaking on the party's inner functioning, the veteran leader said today's BJP is different from his idea of the party. Advani said the party should not compromise with indiscipline and corruption. He said developments that he hears nowadays do not match his idea of the BJP. He said he has been speaking on the issue because he believed that the party could help the country reap a lot of benefit.

Advani said the country could not benefit just by winning assembly elections and needed to have a zero-tolerance policy towards indiscipline and corruption.

The former deputy prime minister expressed his frustration with the BJP leadership's compromising with corruption and indiscipline in the party and even said a few months ago that the people of the country were disappointed with the BJP just as they were with the Congress.

OneIndia News