BJP should look for a younger leader: Congress

Claiming that the prime minister's 'forgetfulness' has become a national issue in the elections, Congress on Friday suggested that Bharatiya Janata Party look for a 'youthful' leader to replace Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"We have a prime minister who is even forgetting the dates of polls in his constituency (Lucknow) and asking the people to cast their votes on September 5," party spokesman Kapil Sibal told reporters in Delhi.

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Recently, the prime minister even forgot whether the polls were for the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha and the names of his party's candidates while campaigning in Chhattisgarh.

He was concerned about the kind of promises Vajpayee may make to Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf and later forget them.

"In such a situation, people have realised that the BJP needs a younger leader," he said.

Claiming that Congress, its allies and Left Front were heading for a 'clear victory' in the polls, Sibal said, "Nothing is left with the ruling National Democratic Alliance, not even Hindutva. Only a prime minister who does not even remember the dates of the polls."