Overconfidence cost us in 2004: Advani

17 Apr 2009


PUNE: Senior BJP leader and NDA's prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani has called upon party workers and supporters to guard against overconfidence', which, he said, was the sole factor behind the NDA's loss in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls.

"The way the UPA has disintegrated over the last one month and the emergence of a number of prime ministerial aspirants has forced me to think that over confidence about victory in the polls should not set in among our workers and supporters," Advani told a well-attended election rally in support of BJP-Shiv Sena nominee from Pune, Anil Shirole, here late Friday evening.

Advani's 30-minute speech was high on the development agenda as he consciously avoided the political rhetoric and undue criticism of the UPA government at the Centre. There was no reference to the weak PM' issue nor any excessive thrust on the UPA's failures.

"We missed in 2004 due to over confidence," Advani said, adding, the difference between the BJP and the Congress wasn't much 138 seats to 145 seats. "This time there should be no mistake. I have been telling the media that one key difference this time is the absence of over confidence. However, the UPA's disintegration may generate a false sense of victory and we have to guard against it," he said. "We have to do micro-management of each polling booth to see that our nominee wins."

Advani based his speech on the development and transformation' of the BJP-ruled states Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat to drive home the point that the party's national level leadership made a conscious attempt to incorporate development initiatives taken by these states, in its poll manifesto. This includes the Laadli Laxmi' scheme to promote female literacy and Rs 2 per kg rice scheme in Chhattisgarh, he said.

Advani referred to the NDA's six-year rule from 1998 and 2004 as the model government' that worked for strengthening the nation and changed the way the world looked at India and Indians, by way of the Pokhran nuclear tests, besides projects like Golden Quadrilateral and North South East West corridor. "Further, if we are able to utilise our grasp over infotech (IT) we can totally change this country," he said. Advani promised to eliminate corruption through e-governance besides using IT for creating a national registry of citizens and containing the infiltration problem.

The BJP leader reaffirmed his party's commitment to bring back the huge amounts of black money stashed in the Swiss banks, while pointing out that his consistent follow-up with the UPA regime has failed to evoke the desired response.

Referring to farmers' suicides in the state as a matter of shame, Advani said the BJP's formula would be "Work for every hand and water for every farm." He referred to the NDA's pet project of inter-linking of rivers and said that such mega projects were "very much doable".