Advani says by-poll results a warning for Cong

Nagpur: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lal Krishna Advani on Tuesday said that the Monday by-elections results were very significant, terming them as a warning to the Central government.

Addressing a press conference in Nagpur, he pointed that barring Bihar, all the other three states that witnessed by-elections were ruled by Congress.

"Barring Bihar, in all the other three states, Congress is in power and they have lost in the by-elections," said Advani.

In the crucial stages of campaigning in Hisar, core group members of Team Anna like Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi had appealed to the people to vote against the Congress.

The Congress itself though has downplayed the influence of Anna factor in these polls. Congress Spokesperson Renuka Chaudhary had said, "There is no Anna factor. We will look into what's gone wrong."

In an ominous warning, Anna said, "If the government does not pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Winter Session, then I will campaign against the Congress in five states."

Advani also said, "No party can effectively win the confidence of the people against the corruption if their house is also involved in one and we are conscious of this. There is no comparison between what happened in Karnataka and what is happening in the Central Government but I have always said that the small mistakes in Karnataka is affecting the party.

The veteran BJP leader also expressed happiness over the "overwhelming support" to his Jan Chetna Yatra.

"The overwhelming support that my Jan Chetna Yatra is receiving is very surprising," he said.

He further said that the response was not just because of the support to the BJP and the NDA, but also due to the anger against the UPA.

"The extraordinary response of the people to my Jan Chetna Yatra is not only because people's support for BJP and NDA, but also because of the anger amongst people against the UPA government," said Advani.

However, the senior leader evaded a question on the arrest of former Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa, saying that the party had already replied on the issue.