New Delhi/MP:
BJP leader LK Advani has said the mood of the people is against the Congress and simultaneously disillusioned with his party.
He faulted the party's handling of Karnataka affairs in the wake of corruption allegations against the then Chief Minister Y S Yeddyurappa in 2010, in a veiled criticism of Nitin Gadkari who was the party president at that time.
"In the last few years, I have been feeling distressed to find that while the current mood of the people is against the present ruling party, they are simultaneously somewhat disillusioned with even the BJP," Advani told a news magazine in an interview.
Underlining that BJP is "expected to have zero tolerance towards corruption", the former Deputy Prime Minister said, "The manner in which we actually wrangled in Karnataka disappointed me."
He did not elaborate but was clearly referring to the dilly-dallying by the party high command on removing Yeddyurappa after the corruption allegations against him cropped up.
Yeddyurappa, whose government was the first by BJP in any southern state, was finally forced to quit as Chief minister months after the allegations against him surfaced.
Referring to the BJP Conclave held here last week, Advani said he had "become very emotional" and was "sad" at the public disillusionment with his party.
At the same time, the BJP veteran said he was "optimistic" about the party's future.
Modi, Chouhan role models for development: Advani
Senior BJP leader L K Advani on Saturday alleged the Congress-led UPA government was mired in scams while Narendra Modi and Shivraj Singh Chouhan were emerging as "role models for development".
"This is happening at a time when two BJP Chief Ministers, Narendra Modi and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, had emerged as role models for development," he said at a function here.
Earlier on Saturday, Advani inaugurated a scheme for providing 24-hour electricity to villages in the Anuppur, Shahdol and Umaria districts of Madhya Pradesh.
In his speech, he recalled the six 'yatras' he had undertaken during his long political career and admitted that though people can be moved by issues of religion and temple, it was development that really brought them together.
The states ruled by Modi and Chouhan were among the top-ranking ones when it came to development, he said.
Advani expressed confidence that Chouhan would manage a hat-trick by winning the assembly elections later this year in Madhya Pradesh.
Chouhan should bring out a booklet titled `Turn-around of Madhya Pradesh', he said.
Chouhan listed the achievements of his government in his speech. The function was also addressed by state BJP president Narendra Singh Tomar.
