MUMBAI — Slamming L.K. Advani, the leader of the main opposition party in India, for predicting a non-BJP, non-Congress prime minister in 2014, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray said it is like a general saying before a war that there is no guarantee on the outcome and demoralizing the entire army. “What has happened to our ally BJP? Has it been afflicted with an illness or has it been beset with internal squabbles," Thackeray asked, in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamna. Advani's musings were demoralizing, Thackeray said, and asked the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) not to lose heart. “If Advani has any doubts, he can come to me and I will give him a dose of morale and strength," Thackeray said, commenting on the blog, where Advani predicted a non-Congress, non-NDA alliance coming to power. “This is like a general saying before a war that there is no guarantee on the outcome, and demoralizing the entire army," Thackeray said. He asked the NDA to prepare for the general elections with renewed vigor. The issue of contenders for the prime minister's post within the NDA — Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi — could be sorted out after the elections, he said. Writing in his blog, Advani had ruled out formation of a government headed by the Third Front, but said that a non-Congress, non-BJP prime minister heading a government supported by one of these two parties is possible. “The blog has put BJP in a quandary," Thackeray said, adding that the next prime minister should be from the NDA and that decision could be taken after polls are over. “No point conceding defeat now, without even entering the boxing ring. Even Advani himself has been a prime ministerial contender over the years and if there is consensus, his wish can also be fulfilled," the senior Shiv Sena leader said. — Agencies
