Advani leaves for yatra

A day ahead of his 'Bharat Uday Yatra, Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani on Tuesday made light of the opposition criticism that his roadshow would cause communal tensions.

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He said this yatra was different from the previous ones. "Earlier, when I undertook yatras, I was in the opposition and would focus on criticism of the then governments. But this time, I am approaching the people with the good track record of the Vajpayee government," the deputy PM said.

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He dubbed the opposition reaction as "predictable". "It amuses me," Advani said at the airport while leaving for Kanyakumari to begin his yatra.

Click here for the yatra route map

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With him were his family members and Bharatiya Janata Party colleagues Arun Jaitley, Pramod Mahajan and Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Advani said he was satisfied about the election scenario in the country on two counts. "First and foremost, I am happy that as was the case in the assembly elections held a few months back, the core issue in this Lok Sabha election is good governance and development. I consider this to be a sign of growing maturity of Indian democracy."

The second feature was that all opinion polls pointed to a clear victory for the National Democratic Alliance, he said. "When the victory of one and the defeat of the other is certain well before the elections, voters tend to give a decisive verdict in favour of the winner."

Advani said he was looking forward to an "exhilarating journey", during which he would carry the message of stability and good governance to the people. "I will tell the people about the achievements of the NDA government and also that under the inspired leadership of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India can become a developed country and play an important role in world polity."