TINSUKIA, March, 27 – LK Advani, Prime Ministerial candidate and star campaigner of Bharatiya Janata Party, addressing a huge public rally at Sarvananda Singha Stadium Complex here today in support of the AGP-BJP combined candidates Sarbananda Sonowal for the Dibrugarh Constituency and Dr Arun Sarma for the Lakhimpur Constituency, said that it was a historic occasion as this was the first combined meeting of the AGP and BJP after the seat-sharing adjustment between the parties. In his speech Advani said security, good governance and development are the chief motto of NDA.

He further said that development of roads in entire India was initiated by the NDA Government during period of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and the task is expected to be completed by 2011. But he was surprised to note that the progress of the work in Assam is very poor, Advani added.

He also appealed to the Congress Prime Ministerial candidate to get elected to the Lok Sabha either from Assam or any other constituency of the country, and not to the Rajya Sabha. He stressed that all the necessary steps should be adopted for checking erosion to save the world’s biggest river island Majuli, which he visited today itself, by the Central Government.

Praising the AGP candidate of Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur, Sarbananda Sonowal and Dr Arun Sarma, respectively, Advani appealed to the people of these constituencies to elect them so that they could play vital role in forming the next NDA Government at Delhi.

Terming the infiltration of Bangladeshis as an external threat, he said that it is included in the manifesto of NDA as an important task to solve. He warned the terrorist organisations that they would be dealt with very strong hands.

The rally of about seven thousand-strong gathering was also addressed by Chandra Mohan Patowary, president Asom Gana Parishad, Sarbananda Sonowal and Dr Arun Sarma. BJP MLAs of Dibrugarh, Duliajan and Tingkhang, Prasant Phukan, Rameswar Teli and Anup Phukan, respectively, were also present at the rally among other office-bearers of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of both the parties.

Patowari while lambasting Congress parties said that for the better future of Assam, his party has gone for seat-sharing for the parliamentary elections with the BJP.

Our Sivasagar Correspondent adds: NDA’s Prime Ministerial candidate LK Advani today took the otherwise sleepy Jorhat parliamentary constituency’s election scenario by a storm by addressing two election rallies – one at Majuli and the other at Sivasagar today for AGP-BJP join candidate Kamakhya Prasad Tasha.

Addressing the massive rally at Sivasagar Peoli Phukan Stadium organized by AGP-BJP district joint committee, the veteran BJP leader said that it was the Bharatiya Janata Party which freed the Indians from the clutches of Congress hegemony by introducing alliance politics and making it bi-polar.

He blamed the Congress party for decades of ‘misrule ‘ both at the Centre and in the NE States and questioned the justification of its tall claims of progress when incidents of suicides among the farmers of the country are on the rise.

Advani also blamed the Congress for polluting Indian politics by fielding criminals as candidates in many constituencies. He called upon the AGP-BJP supporters to take a final decision for ousting the Congress party permanently from the NE region as, he said, it has made the region one of the most backward in the country.

The NDA leader said that his party will definitely come to power as the Congress is being deserted by its allies one after another and termed PM Dr Manmohan Sing as a puppet who has to dance to the tunes of Sonia Gandhi. He expressed his party’s commitment towards the Tea Tribe population’s development which, he said, the Congress party has totally neglected.

AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowari, in his speech, said that AGP will never sell their land and people to others and never make compromise on issues related to our nationalism like the Congress.

The Congress, he said, has long been befooling the people by claiming the progress made so far to their credit, but all the important development works, like increase in State’s share in Central grants, infrastructure development, special package of Rs 7100 crore announced by Deve Gowda as PM, etc., are all done by non-Congress governments.

PTI adds: Firing another salvo in their war of words Advani today said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should contest and win the Lok Sabha polls instead of taking the Rajya Sabha route after the Congress made it clear he was the party’s candidate to head a government.

“It is good that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has finally announced its prospective premier’s name setting at rest a whirlpool of speculations,” the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate told an election rally at Seppa in Arunachal Pradesh.

But, Advani sarcastically suggested Manmohan Singh would be more acceptable to the common people if he became a Lok Sabha member.

Advani’s comments came two days after Manmohan Singh made it clear that he has no intention to contest the Lok Sabha polls by pointing out that there were several Prime Ministers in the past who were from the Rajya Sabha and it was as per the Constitution.

The BJP stalwart has been pitching for a Constitution amendment that the Prime Minister should be from the Lok Sabha.

“I have just had a bypass surgery. I need time to recover. Therefore, I don’t think I can right now jump into the election fray,” Singh said in reply to another question with Gandhi by his side when the Congress manifesto was released on Tuesday.

The former Deputy Prime Minister said he was ready for a live debate with Manmohan Singh on various issues on TV channels as practised in the USA.

Dubbing Manmohan Singh as the “weakest Prime Minister the country ever had,” Advani said, “He cannot do anything without getting a green signal from 10 Janpath. A minister posted at the PMO takes the PM’s proposals to Sonia Gandhi and without her nod he cannot move.”

Advani said even former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, who was an elected representative in the Lok Sabha, had worked with more authority. Gowda had only four or five MPs of his party with him in Parliament in 1996 when he headed a coalition government.

Referring to China’s claim over Arunachal Pradesh, he said if that country wanted to develop good relations with India, it should stop claiming Arunachal.

Later talking to reporters, he said NCP leader Purno A Sangma was trying to unite all anti-Congress forces in the north-eastern region.

“This is a good job and I have all respect for Sangma,” Advani said.