NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Lal
Krishna Advani on Thursday blasted former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan
Singh for trying to drive a wedge between him and Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee as "mischievous", "perverse" and
"misleading."
Kalyan Singh had resorted to "the same puerile
tactics adopted by many other opponents of the BJP and of the NDA
Government" to create or claim differences between the two, Advani said in
a strongly-worded statement.
Advani said he has been disinclined to react to what
Kalyan Singh has been saying, but he "cannot ignore what he has said in
Delhi on Wednesday." Kalyan Singh had accused Vajpayee weakening Advani's
authority with the help of his coterie.
Since Advani once used to be a mentor and protector
of Kalyan Singh, he opted to issue the statement to dispel any wrong message
that may be read in Kalyan Singh's remarks. He said Kalyan Singh has
"totally lost his sense of balance" and has been carrying on a
vicious tirade against the BJP in general and the Prime Minister in particular.
"His statements have been extremely offensive,
and have rightly earned him expulsion from the party," Advani said to make
it clear that he provides no patronage to Kalyan Singh any longer. He sought to
stress this further by asserting that "the BJP leadership has been
unanimous" on the twin decisions that he must no longer remain the chief
minister and later his expulsion from the party. END.