New Delhi: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today (Dec 9, 2003) cautioned partymen against complacency in the wake of spectacular win in the Assembly elections and asked them to begin preparations for the Lok Sabha polls next year.

"Vijay mili hai lekin vishram nahin," (victory has been achieved, but there should be no rest), he said addressing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Parliamentary party meeting.

Sounding a note of alert to the party, which has been upbeat since its victories in the Assembly elections, he said, "The Opposition cannot face this defeat in the Assembly elections and they would make effort to vitiate the atmosphere so we should be careful."

The meeting held in a celebratory atmosphere was told by Vajpayee that the party should now begin preparations for Lok Sabha polls slated for next year.

In the first Parliamentary party meeting after the victories in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh, Vajpayee attributed these to teamwork, saying that they had brought about a change in the nation's political atmosphere.

The Prime Minister told the meeting, attended by the three Chief Ministers, who are still Lok Sabha members, that they should make two plans, one short term to immediately provide water, power and roads and a long-term plan for giving the basic amenities.

The victories in these three States has raised the peoples expectations in the party, Vajpayee said, adding that it has now become important to ensure that the BJP-led Governments live up to it and for this purpose there is need to evolve a short-term and long-term plan.

Addressing the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani said these elections should provide the necessary morale booster for the party and it has to now begin preparations for "Mission 2004", which is the Lok Sabha elections.

He was confident that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would return to power next year under the leadership of Vajpayee.

Advani said the attempts by the Opposition to divert the electorate from the main issues like development and good governance failed and for this credit should go to the State unit and other Central leaders who countered these efforts.

Hitting out at the Congress, party president M Venkaiah Naidu said it was shameful that Congress was indulging in all kinds of tactics in Chattisgarh to retain power.

He said, "After Operation 2003 being successful, our next aim should be Mission 2004 and win 300 seats in the Lok Sabha and work towards the NDA getting two-thirds majority."

PTI