Tuesday, February 1 2005 10:55 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Gurgaon: Taking a realistic view, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee did not attack the Chautala Government at his maiden election rally in Haryana and said that his party was not contesting the polls to form a Government in the State but to ensure good governance.

"We have not come here to form the Government, we are here to ensure that the Government does its work properly," Vajpayee said addressing a party rally at the Goshala Maidan in Gugaon, on the outskirts of the national capital.

The NDA (National Democratic Alliance) Chairman said that the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) was contesting the polls alone this time not because "we don't want to work together with others".

It's not that we have become arrogant or that we don't care for other people's support. But it's important to show the nation that political parties are not merely fighting to seize power. We have our own ideology and principles," Vajpayee said.

BJP, which had fought the last Assembly elections in alliance with the Om Prakash Chautala-led Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), is contesting all the seats alone after severing ties with the latter.

However, BJP leaders including party president L K Advani have been avoiding any direct attack on its erstwhile ally sparking speculations that the saffron party may enter into a post-poll tie up with INLD in the event of a hung Assembly.

Vajpayee too refrained from directly criticisng the incumbent Government and sought to make the Congress party the target of his attack.

"Has the Congress decided on a leader? If so, they should announce it. At the Centre, the Government is run by Sonia Gandhi. Who will run it here?" he asked in an apparent reference to the number of Chief Ministerial aspirants in the party.

Charging the Congress with pursuing a policy of opportunism, he said, "They are leading a coalition (at the Center). It is difficult to say with whom. They have a tie-up with whoever comes along. Where are its principles? We will do our work as the Opposition, but the coalition politics at the Center is cause for concern."