Uma Bharti bats for Advani as BJP's PM candidate

Batting for L K Advani as the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate, party leader Uma Bharti on Thursday claimed that he was the "most capable person" to lead the country in the present situation.

Welcoming Advani's yatra in Varanasi, Bharti said that in the past Vishwanath Pratap Singh had raised the issue of corruption in connection with the Bofors deal and had gone on to become the prime minister.

"Advani ji is the most capable person to lead the country in the present situation," she said.

Bharati added that though Advani turns 84 in November, he "retained the enthusiasm of a twelve-year-old".

"Corruption is a big challenge and anyone who has come to Kashi to raise this issue has not only managed to bring down governments but also gone on to become the prime minister," Bharti said while Advani sat on the dais.

Referring to herself as "Advani's daughter", Bharti said that she had argued with the BJP leader when at a BJP convention in Mumbai, Advani had proposed Atal Bihari Vajpayee's name as the party's prime ministerial choice.

Advani, she said, had taken that decision to uphold the wishes of the people.

The former BJP chief, who till now has maintained that the yatra has nothing to do with the race for prime ministership, in his speech said that the yatra was not about him.

"I have been asked whether I am trying an image makeover. This yatra is not about me or even about the BJP," Advani said, adding that the issues of corruption and black money were the focus of his yatra.

BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said Congress governments usually tried to "suppress facts related to corruption when anybody tried to reveal them".

From Varanasi, the Jan Swabhiman yatra led by state BJP leader Kalraj Mishra was also launched.