'The ugly politician image must change'

Senior BJP leader L K Advani on Thursday seemed to echo the sentiments of Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the attitude of leaders when he said there was a need to change the image of "the ugly Indian politician".

Speaking at a BJP workshop on "Politics for Development" organised on the death anniversary of party ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Advani said: "The political community does not have a very good image. There is a need to change the image of the ugly Indian politician...People say if one is in politics one must be corrupt."

Advani's statement came a day after Sonia said that it was very difficult in today's politics for a leader to be a "saint" and lamented that the moment a politician gets a post he becomes arrogant.

The Congress president had on Wednesday said that remaining a saint in today's politics was a most difficult task and highlighted the need for continued existence of good people in politics.

"A number of people become proud soon after getting any place in politics. But only those in politics get people's trust and love who keep on working politely," Gandhi said.