Advani takes a U-turn, says India headed for ‘acche din’
Party veteran in ceasefire mode, holds govt’s direction as ‘correct’
It (wanting everything, including inflation, to be alright) is too much to expect from a new government in a short duration, particularly when its direction is correct.
LK ADVANI, BJP patriarch
AHMEDABAD: Bharatiya Janata Party patriarch Lal Krishna Advani on Sunday gave the thumbs-up to the Narendra Modi government, saying it is on the right track to take the country to “acche din” — a party promise and popular slogan during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
The sidelined stalwart’s comments were seen as a ceasefire after he and fellow veterans Murli Manohar Joshi, Yashwant Sinha and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Shanta Kumar set off pre-Diwali fireworks with a stinging statement against the top leadership for the party’s Bihar assembly poll fiasco.
“I am happy that Narendra Modi is working as the Prime Minister of the country,” Advani said, countering the growing perception that the government has failed to fulfill its promise of bringing “acche din” or good days to the people. “It is too much to expect from a new government in a short duration, particularly when its direction is correct,” he responded to a query on spiralling food inflation, especially the price of popular staple dal that has gone through the roof.
“I believe the whole system takes its own time. Since the government is moving in the right direction, I believe results will also be good,” said the parliamentarian for Gandhinagar who was there to vote in the state civic polls. The remarks brought relief to the BJP which has been struggling to quell dissenting voices since the Bihar debacle and put its house in order before crucial assembly polls lined up for the next two years.
Advani and other seniors, reduced to the margins since Modi came to power, said in their statement on Nov 10 that the party has been “emasculated” in the past year and was being “forced to kowtow to a handful” — an oblique reference to the PM and BJP chief Amit Shah. The veterans had also refused to accept the party line that the Bihar blame be shared.
On Sunday, the 88-year-old Advani told reporters that his party has put extra effort to ensure a win in the Gujarat civic polls following the drubbing in Bihar. “I can say that consciousness of our party has increased. All efforts were made here to see that the result comes in our favour. And these efforts will be certainly reflected in the result,” he said.