LK weaves dreams of NDA rule

NEW DELHI: From a roadmap for the country to a roadmap for the voter on what to do on voting day, the BJP rally on Sunday was a complete package. While Jagdish Mukhi, party candidate from West Delhi, talked about local issues, the big gun BJP's prime ministerial hopeful LK Advani talked about the "golden years'' of the NDA and how the BJP promised to bring it back if elected to power.
It was a show of strength with the saffron party pulling out all stops rebel Parvesh Verma was conspicuous by his presence even as senior leaders like VK Malhotra leader of the opposition in the Assembly HS Balli, OP Babbar and others were on the dais.
Advani's speech was a recap of what he has been saying throughout this campaign season from issues like Congress' insistence on fielding a non-LS elected PM to the government's "inability'' to protect the interests of Indians living in neighbouring countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Advani's 30-minute speech touched on the promises made in the BJP manifesto to its past performance when the NDA, he claimed, fulfilled its promise to make the country a nuclear state.
His speech also had a moment of introspection as he admitted that the BJP lost in the last Lok Sabha polls because of over-confidence. He claimed that this time around, though, the confidence is well placed as the country needs a strong government and the people will vote for the BJP. Promising an `honest' government, Advani said that the Congress already seemed to be trailing as could be seen from the elections held in states so far.
While Advani would have been happy to see the response to his speech the 2,000-plus crowd cheered him intermittently the late hour took its toll on the show. By the end people were walking out even as Advani exhorted them to vote for the BJP.
Mukhi's speech, meanwhile, was geared towards the semi-urban audience that had come for the rally as he talked about the lack of basic facilities like water, power and rising crime rate. He dismissed the Congress government's talk of development as rhetoric saying, "Our intentions are good and we commit to providing not only the basic facilities but also employment as well as relief from price rise.'' He also laid down a roadmap for voters on May 7 asking them to vote early in the morning even before they have breakfast. Parvesh exhorted the crowd to vote for BJP in the memory of his father former CM Sahib Singh Verma.