By IANS,
Anekal (Karnataka) : Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani Friday said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was no longer in a position to check inflation and terrorism and may consider calling general elections in October.
But if the Congress party failed to capture power in Karnataka in the upcoming assembly polls, the UPA would go for general elections early next year, Advani declared in Anekal, about 40 km from Bangalore.
Advani was addressing a public meeting in support of BJP candidates for the Karnataka assembly polls which are being held in three phases starting May 10.
He said the BJP would not mind if the UPA government stayed in power for some more time. “Since it is unable to control inflation, people’s anger against it will only grow,” he said.
The BJP leader poked fun at the Congress reluctance to name its chief ministerial candidate. The BJP has named B.S. Yediyurappa as its chief ministerial nominee.
“So many cricket matches are being played these days. Can one imagine a match being played without a captain? Ask who is your captain when the Congress approaches you for votes,” he said.
Advani tried to woo women voters saying they were increasingly finding it difficult to manage the household budget because of rising prices.
He said a woman had recently told him in New Delhi that they were managing with “Chinese dal”.
Asked from where she was getting such ‘dal’, she said it had become a common term for the cheap variety of ‘dal’ people are forced to buy due to inflation.
Besides inflation, the UPA is also unable to curb terrorism. These two will be the main campaign issues when the country goes for general elections, Advani said.
He appealed to the people of Karnataka to give the BJP a chance to rule the state.
“You have seen what the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular did when they were in power. It is time to vote the BJP to power for honest and able governance,” he said.
Later in the evening, Advani addressed meetings in Chamarajnagar and Mysore districts.
He is expected to campaign later this week in Bangalore, which now has 28 seats as against 16 earlier following the redrawing of constituencies.
The first phase of polling May 10 will cover 89 of the 224 constituencies.