Lucknow: Senior BJP leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani refrained from mentioning either the Ayodhya temple issue or Hindutva that other leaders dwelt on heavily over the past two days at the party's three-day national conclave.
While Advani simply made a passing reference to Muslim appeasement, adopted in a resolution on Saturday, Vajpayee did not even touch upon that.
The former prime minister chose to concentrate more on issues related to the forthcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Significantly, this came in sharp contrast to the vitriolic comments by senior party leader and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh who did not mince words both on the need for erecting the Ram temple as well as on pursuing the hardline Hindutva agenda.
Singh was speaking on a resolution moved by senior party leader Sushma Swaraj against what they termed as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) policy of "Muslim appeasement".
Even as he attacked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav for the state's deteriorating law and order, Singh also expressed his gratitude to the chief minister for extending hospitality for the party conclave.
Referring to the importance of state polls slated early next year, Vajpayee said: "We have a great challenge lying ahead of us in Uttar Pradesh and we must revive the party here because the road to the seat of power in Delhi goes from here."
He warned party workers to rise above their personal differences. "There can be no room for factionalism and groupism and it is high time for us to realise this and work jointly towards strengthening the party in this crucial state," he added.
Advani trained his guns not only at the UPA government but also at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "It is really unfortunate that this is the first prime minister who does not enjoy an independent status as his reins are controlled from somewhere else," he said in an indirect reference to UPA chairperson and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
Accusing the UPA government of pursuing "Muslim vote politics", Advani praised the resolution adopted earlier by the house. "Both the resolution on appeasement as well as the economic resolution were very good and we need to take them ahead," he observed amid applause.
Advani said, "The Vidhan Sabha elections are important, but we also have to prepare ourselves for the bigger challenge that lies further ahead in 2009 - the Lok Sabha election." The remark was seen in BJP circles as a reflection of his keenness to be projected as the prime ministerial candidate - for which Vajpayee offered his blessings on Saturday.
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