India Shining did us in : Advani

Alerting partymen against getting complacent ahead of Lok Sabha polls, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L K Advani said the NDA lost the 2004 general elections due to “over confidence” and use of wrong slogans like “India Shining”. Addressing a conference of the party’s Traders’ Cell , Advani said that after being in power for six years and providing good governance under the prime ministership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, NDA was confident of forming the next government. “The impression even among opponents and foreign analysts was that we will win... but we lost... one, due to overconfidence and two, using some wrong slogans like India Shining,” he said. Advani, who was then deputy prime minister, said this slogan was used by BJP’s opponents who asked voters if they really felt India was shining. “Our opponents went to the people and asked them if their homes were shining... everybody has his own problems... there is so much poverty in the country, farmers have their problems... they said where is India shining,” he reminded the gathering at the party headquarters here. Taking a dig at Congress-led UPA, Advani said they won the 2004 polls with the support of the common man. “Five years down the line, we get reports that so many Indians have become billionaires. On the other hand, the Indian Statistical Institute has said the number of people below the poverty line has gone up to 5.5 crore from 3.5 crore in the last five years,” he said. Advani said BJP was opposed to FDI in the retail sector as it would affect the small trader. “If they (government) bring FDI in retail trade, it will bring about a slowdown in trade... one can only imagine the joblessness it will lead to. BJP is opposed to FDI in this sector,” he added. Asking his supporters to work for the party’s victory, Advani said, “The importance is not in making somebody the prime minister, but of making India the first among nations.” Reacting to opponents calling the BJP a party of middle-classes and small traders, he said he did not object to it as it meant the party had the support of the common man.