For Uttar Pradesh BJP ministers and party workers, the message of Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani was loud and clear. ‘‘The coalition (with Mayawati) will continue, while efforts should be aimed at maintaining the ‘party with a difference’ status of the BJP.’’ Advani, who was here to attend the convocation at Kanpur University today, agreed to address a meeting of party workers, who had assembled in large numbers from 14 districts at Phulbagh ground. He also met the BJP ministers in the Mayawati government at a guesthouse in IIT and advised them to do away with groupism and concentrate on bettering the image of the party. Owing to his tight schedule, ministers and senior leaders could not get more than 10 minutes with Advani, while party workers got 20 minutes at the historic Phoolbagh ground. With Advani on the podium, the party workers could not resist raising slogans of Jai Shri Ram but the leader had other things in mind, especially the forthcoming general elections. ‘‘We should not make mistakes because people can forgive the Congress for doing wrongs but they cannot tolerate the BJP doing the same. We have entered a coalition, which always has certain limits, but our own behaviour should always be good,’’ he told supporters. For the state BJP, holding an open meeting between their top leader and workers was a political necessity in Uttar Pradesh to boost the sagging morale of the party’s rank and file. The general impression among the workers was that it was Mayawati who was calling the shots and the BJP was in no position to check her style of functioning. ‘‘The officers give preference to BSP leaders over us and our jobs are ignored despite the fact that we are a coalition partner in the state,’’ a party worker complained. ‘‘I requested Advaniji that he should have a meeting with the party workers when he has already agreed to attend the convocation at Kanpur and he gave his consent,’’ said state party chief Vinay Katiyar. Advani, on his part, chose not to elaborate on the coalition during the meeting with party workers and reminded them that the Vajpayee Government has done so many things for the country that the party workers should feel proud of the achievements and spread the good word among the masses. ‘‘Easy telephone and cooking gas connections. A wide network of roads, interlinking of rivers and many other achievements have been made by the Vajpayee government since 1998. Terrorists and also the people behind them have been arrested who were involved in major strikes like that on Akshardham temple and Parliament. The need is to tell the people around you about these achievements,’’ he said.
