Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani’s recent remarks asking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to quit and hold fresh Lok Sabha elections has not gone down well with many of his party colleagues. While the Congress had reacted to these remarks by saying that Mr Advani’s “greed for power” made him say such things, his own party colleagues have distanced themselves from his demand for fresh polls.
Sources disclosed many party MPs raised this issue on Tuesday with Mr Advani as well as both the Leaders of the Opposition. These MPs expressed reservation over Mr Advani’s statement.
Mr Advani had made these remarks at a function in Nellore on last Sunday where he accused the UPA of losing the confidence of people over corruption issue. He had said that the 2009 poll verdict had lost relevance and the Prime Minister should seek fresh mandate.
When asked whether the BJP, including the Central leadership, agrees with Mr Advani’s demand of fresh polls, most of the party leaders refused to comment. Deputy leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha S.S. Ahluwalia said Mr Advani was misquoted but he didn’t elaborate what Mr Advani had actually said.