Cong has no answer to BJP's feel good factor: Naidu

CHANDIGARH, Feb 1 (UNI) BJP national president Venkaiah Naidu today said the Congress had no answer to the BJP's slogan of feel good factor.

"How can the Congress feel good when the Congressmen themselves are losing confidence in their party leadership," Naidu said while addressing here the BJP's regional core group meeting of the senior party leaders from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh.

Naidu said the BJP was very clear in naming Atal Bihari Vajpayee as its leader, while the Congressmen were hesitating in declaring their leader as a prime ministerial candidate.

"Besides performance, the leadership is also an issue for the coming (Lok Sabha) elections," he said.

"Vajpayee is being adored by India and admired by the world community." Naidu said the strength of the Congress in parliament would be reduced to a double digit figure after the next general elections.

He said the congress governments in some states were in very bad shape as visible in Kerala and Punjab.

Naidu urged the party cadres to convey the achievements of the Vajpayee government to the common people, as part of the party campaign for the next Lok Sabha polls, in support of the party's slogan of 'feel good'.

Recounting the achievements of the government, Naidu said it was because of the able leadership of Vajpayee that the country's relations with Pakistan were now improving.

He said it was following the positive attitude of Vajpayee that even Pakistan president Parvez Musharraf had advocated for 'jehad' against the foreign mercenaries.

On the Kashmir issue, Naidu said it was only because of the able leadership of Vajpayee that the Hurriyat had positively approached New Delhi for talks.

"We (the government) have eliminated the top level commanders of terrorist organisations like Hizbul Mujahideen and we are succeeding in bringing peace in the valley," he said.

The BJP president said it was only during the present government that the living standard of people had started growing.

"Whether it is telecom or cooking gas or road infrastructure, we are today growing in every sector and people are happy about this," he said.

Naidu later held closed door meetings with the respective party units from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Chandigarh and discussed the poll strategy and the prospects of seat sharing with allied parties like the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab.

The BJP president also addresed a rally here in which he sought mandate for the BJP in the next Lok Saha elections and recounted the union government's achievements.

BJP not bothered by efforts to forge united opposition NEW DELHI, Feb 1 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party today said the efforts underway to forge a united opposition for the next general elections did not bother it as the party is confident of accomplishing 'Mission 2004' of winning 300 Lok Sabha seats on its own.

To a question in this regard, party spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said while the BJP was confident with the 'feel good factor' the Congress was suffering from 'feel bad factor' with developments in Kerala.

"The Congress was going through depression," he said.

On the BJP's prospects in Kerala particularly, he said the party would not only open its account but also win sizeable number of seats.

"We, along with allies, will be going to the elections and the Congress effort to forge alliance with other opposition parties does not bother us," he said.