New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (Dec 5, 2003) described the defeat of Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh was a "rejection by the people of Sonia Gandhi's leadership" and said it was time the main Opposition party accepted it.

"When the Congress wins, they say it is Sonia Gandhi's victory but when they are defeated they don't say it is her defeat," party spokesman V K Malhotra told reporters.

He said the Congress defeat in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh was a "rejection by the people of leadership of Sonia Gandhi".

To a question whether the BJP would revoke the ban on "trishuls" (tridents) in Rajasthan, which was imposed by the Congress regime, he said, "There is no need for any direction from the Centre. Let the Government be formed. Our first priority is development of roads, improving the power situation and other tasks."

He said it was for the State Governments to decide on enacting anti-conversion laws as it was a State subject.

PTI