’I won’t run for PM again’

BJP leader LK Advani has ruled out running for the post of prime minister in the general elections in 2014, satisfied to be part of RSS and party

'I won't run for PM again'

BJP leader LK Advani has ruled out running for the post of prime minister in the general elections in 2014, satisfied to be part of RSS and party

Already 83, he was speaking to reporters after calling on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat "to seek blessings" for his proposed nationwide rath yatra on "clean politics and good governance".

He did not answer in a categorical "yes" or "no" when asked if he saw himself as a likely candidate. Instead, he said he had got more from the party than was possible from the post of prime minister.

"I became a swayamsevak of the Sangh, then a member of Jan Sangh and then BJP," Advani said.

"I feel what I have got from these organisations, from my colleagues, from the country, is much more than the post of prime minister."

Advani said Bhagwat conveyed his full support to his road campaign, likely to start October 11.
u00a0
He said the RSS chief also informed him the organisation has told its cadres to work for the success of the yatra.

The BJP leader said he had also come to Nagpur to inquire after the health of party president Nitin Gadkari, who underwent weight reduction surgery earlier this month.

Advani said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had become "dysfunctional" due to various scams and, during the road show he would he talk about its failures and also the cash-for-votes scandal that rocked parliament in 2008.

He said action has been taken against some senior leaders, not on the initiative of the government, but due to the judiciary and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

Advani's anti-corruption yatra
BJP leader LK Advani will kick off his anti-corruption yatra from Sitabdiara village in Bihar's Saran district on October 11.

Meanwhile, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said its volunteers will "actively participate" in L K Advani's proposed yatra against corruption.

Taking digs at BJP
Taking a dig at senior BJP leader LK Advani's 'withdrawal' from a possible prime ministerial candidature, Congress asserted that there is no vacancy for the post. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "There is no vacancy for PM's post within the Congress and as far as BJP is concerned, there is no vacancy for them either."

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels