Advani raises pitch: NDA MPs to give declarations on black money,assets

Addressing the huge gathering,Advani said: I disagree that corruption has happened only because Lokpal is not there. I do agree that an effective Lokpal is necessary. But I believe it is the absence of political will on the part of the government that is responsible for increasing corruption, he said,adding that the government has still not come clean on those who have black money accounts,despite having received 700 names from the French government.

The show of strength at the Ramlila Maidan,with NDA allies as well as senior BJP leaders in attendance,was an assertion of Advanis capability to act as the bonding factor within the Opposition alliance. The presence of AIADMK representative M Thambidurai,who was specially sent by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to attend the rally,was a clear indication of the political equation in the South.

Advani also took the opportunity to welcome the RPI,led by Ramdas Athavale,which entered into an alliance with the Sena-BJP in Maharashtra last week,into the NDA fold. Among those present were BJP president Nitin Gadkari and NDA convenor and JD-U leader Sharad Yadav.

Almost a month-and-a-half back,when Advani launched his yatra,there was scepticism,with questions over whether he would get support from various sections within the party and the Sangh Parivar. He did suffer embarrassing moments,especially in Karnataka,where former chief minister B S Yeddyurappas followers boycotted the rally,and in Punjab,where his rath received lukewarm response and was showered with eggs and black flags. But the presence of the NDA top brass at the Ramlila stage today,and their endorsement of his leadership the only conspicuous absentee being Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi should have satisfied Advani. My yatra may have ended today but our fight against corruption will not end, he said.

And while he has maintained that his yatra was not linked to any prime ministerial ambition,Advani indicated that the NDA was aiming to replace the UPA at the Centre,saying a change was required to tackle corruption and black money.

Referring to the morning fog in the Capital,he said the weather had cleared up after some time. But the fog of corruption over the government will not go automatically. It will only go through Jan Chetna and once the government changes at the Centre, he said.

Meanwhile,Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj lauded Advanis stellar role in bringing the issues of corruption,price rise and black money to the people through his yatra. Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley questioned the leadership of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,saying that he had failed to take any action even as major scams including 2G and CWG took place.