Advani asks party leaders to avoid 'media fascination'

"The urge (among some party leaders) to see their names in newspapers ...to see their face on TV for a few seconds ... Sometimes, I feel there are too many spokespersons in our party," Advani said at a function held to mark the birth anniversary of Jan Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mookherjee in the New Delhi on Monday.  

Several senior BJP leaders had spoken to news channels on the reasons for the party's poll defeat and letters written by some party leaders discussing internal party matters and disagreements were leaked to the media, leaving the party red faced.

Recalling the sacrifices made by Mookherjee, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and Atal Bihari Vajpayee to raise BJP to its present state, Advani said the party should take all precautions to avoid mistakes as it 'negates these sacrifices.'

"Leaders like Mookherjee, Deen Dayal, and Vajpayee have raised this party to this level... we should prevent little mistakes on our part ....", he said.

Advani said the recent election loss should not dishearten BJP members as the party had faced several "ups and downs" in the past.

The party still has 116 Lok Sabha Members of Parliament.  The Leader of the Opposition said all had not been lost by the BJP after the recent poll debacle. "The party has a bright future," Advani claimed.