Foreign origins issue not dead yet: Advani

Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani on Friday wished the Congress and its allies well.

Speaking at a tea party he hosted for journalists at his residence, Advani said he and his party have accepted the peoples' verdict and will now play the role of an effective opposition.

Advani said the issue of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's foreign origins and whether its should bar her from occupying the prime minister's chair is not dead yet. He said the issue will have to be debated at all levels in the country.

Taking exception to a newspaper report which said he had imposed the decision of calling early general election on the party and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Advani said the newspaper should have cross-checked the report with him.

"The decision to call early elections was a unanimous decision of all senior BJP leaders," he said.