Mr Advani accused the Left parties of 'cleverly' exploiting the religious sentiments against the Danish cartoons and combining it with US President George Bush's visit, although they were the principle supporters of the UPA coalition. The Communists, who dreamt of communism sweeping the world, stood washed out in the world scenario but existed in two corners of India -- West Bengal and Kerala. ''But former West Bengal Chief Minister (Jyoti Basu) preferred to discuss the failures of the V P Singh Government, at a 'secret lunch-on' at the residence of an Industrialist, rather than having open meetings at Mr Vajpayee's or my residence'', he said.

The Congress which governed the country for the maximum period after independence, was obsessed with 'one family' and a group of MPs would frown at anybody who even took the name of a person. ''It becomes unparliamentary reference if one were to take one name in Parliament'', he said.

He said India was a sucessful tolerant democracy not merely because of 'western fad' of Jawaharlal Nehru but because of tolerant Hindu ethos. The western observers at that point of time not merely asked the question. He said that going by the debates in the Constitutent Assembly, the Constitution makers hoped India would develop a two party system. This might not have been a reality but it was certainly a bi-polar polity, he said.

Answering a question about having simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and Assemblies, he said the polls since 1952 to 1971 used to be held together allowing sufficient time for development but after the link got cut off, there were major elections in one corner or the other, jeopardising the effective implementation of electoral laws.


UNI