'Question of PM successor does not arise'

By Our Staff Reporter

GODAVARIKHANI, OCT. 21. Expressing concern over a section of the media's projection of the Union Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani as the successor of the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, the Bharatiya Janata Party national president, Mr. Bangaru Laxman, on Saturday said there was no question of a successor to Mr. Vajpayee now, and that the party was not discussing the issue at any level.

The BJP president who was here in the coal belt area of Karimnagar district to participate in the two-day State BJP executive committee meeting, told newspersons that Mr. Vajpayee was the most successful Prime Minister ever seen in the country. ``There is no quality of discussion with regard to the successor of Prime Minister at any time and at any level'', he said pointing out that ``this discussion should be stopped here itself.''

Asked whether any party leader was in the race for the Prime Minister's post, he shot back: ``there is no race at all.'' He said he had met Mr. Vajpayee on October 15, and except for the knee pain the Prime minister was perfect and would be reaching New Delhi very soon.

On the reported statement of Mr. Advani that the BJP- RSS tie up was `historical,' he said Mr. Advani had said that the RSS was a moral force and not a legal force. The BJP and RSS agendas were different, he said adding that ``however, we all have learnt discipline and patriotism from the moral principles of RSS.''

He said the Congress which stated that they had learnt moral values from Mahatma Gandhi had failed to follow his footsteps by promoting Khadi Udyog, decentralisation of powers, and total prohibition.

BJP against separate Telangana

Mr. Laxman said the party was against the constitution of a separate Telangana State. However, he said the issue of a separate Telangana would arise only when the Legislative Assembly passed a resolution.

He also called upon the misled youth of Telangana to shun violence and join the mainstream and lead a normal life in a democratic set-up.

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Section  : National
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