Chittorgarh: Dismissing Congress claims that raising the issue of foreign origin of All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Sonia Gandhi amounted to personal criticism, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani today (Apr 2, 2004) asserted that it was a topic of political debate.

"The foreign origin issue is not personal, but a political matter," Advani told reporters in Chittorgarh during his 'Bharat Uday Yatra'.

Asserting that it was wrong to describe the issue as a personal attack, he said, "It even had a direct effect on Congress, which split on the issue."

"A person whom they had made speaker of the Lok Sabha left the party and is still not prepared to join it due to differences on foreign origin issue," he said, apparently referring the P A Sangma.

Advocating simultaneous holding of Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the country, Advani said, "I would like to reiterate my strong belief that the election season in India should be both fixed and simultaneous."

"I believe this will impart greater stability to policy making, infuse a greater sense of responsibility in the political class to ultimately promote the culture of good governance."

Stressing for electoral reforms in the country, he said, "I am personally inclined to favour State funding of political parties for elections."