Monday, December 12 2005 14:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: With differences between the party organisation and the state governments surfacing in several BJP-ruled states, Party President L K Advani today (Dec 12, 2005) asked the two to have 'cordial relations' based on trust and understanding.

"There should be cordial relations, understanding and trust between the government and the organisation and it is for the government to take the initiative as only through organisation can we touch the support base," he said inaugurating the BJP Chief Ministers' conclave here. Maintaining that often the good performance of the government do not reflect in subsequent poll verdict, he said, "every party has its own constituency and the government should keep in touch with it and apprise it of its views on all aspects of governance".

Advani's remarks assume significance as it comes in the wake of dissidence in some state units and protests against the 'autocratic style of functioning of Chief Ministers' in party-ruled states, including Gujarat.

Chief Ministers of all BJP-ruled states, ministers in state governments where BJP is a junior coalition partner and state unit presidents of those states are attending the day-long conference called to discuss among other things the introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT), naxalism, illegal migration and the recent Supreme Court order upholding a ban on cow slaughter.

Advani, who apprised the participants of the action taken against party MPs who were shown taking money purportedly for raising questions in Parliament by a news channel this morning, said, "for BJP it is an achievement that in India's electoral debate good governance and governance have become a permanent agenda in the polls since 1999".

Expressing happiness over the pace of development in party-ruled states, he praised the achievements of the Gujarat government in securing 80 per cent of the country's domestic investment and expressed hope that other states including Madhya Pradesh would deliver the promises made to the people.

He also criticised the UPA for being 'ineffective and directionless' and charged it with playing with the nation's internal security as it policies were 'dominated by political Consideration'.