PANAJI, May 21: The Centre should consider enacting a law on electoral reforms to deal with the use of money in the elections and also pass a Lok Pal Bill, Bharatiya Janata Party president L K Advani said here on Tuesday.

Advani, whose Swarna Jayanti Yatra arrived at Ponda on Tuesday afternoon from Belgaum, said at a press conference here that the two-fold legislation had become necessary considering that the issue of corruption was in high focus nationally.

Although electoral reforms were being talked about for a long time, nothing had been done so far, the BJP president noted. Enthusiastic party supporters and others cheered Advani at various points on the road as the rath drove the 20-kilometre distance from Mollemto Ponda.

Mr Advani said he had chosen Goa to make this demand because the state had the advantage of having its representative in the Union Cabinet as the Law Minister. ``I expect Khalap to deal with this problem with the urgency it deserves and have the legislations introduced in the monsoon session of parliament,'' he said.

Praising Goa's common civil code he said Khalap should use his Goa experience to consider giving the country a uniform civil code. The prevailing diversity in family laws not only acted as an obstruction to strengthening the country's unity but it also contributed to gender inequality and injustice.

Advani expressed his surprise and disapproval over the Centre's decision to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama.

``It is like India celebrating its defeat at the hands of China in 1967 war,'' he said. He felt the Portuguese may have reasons to celebrate the event but he could not understand why the Indian Government wanted to participate in such celebrations. The BJP leader who arrived from Belgaum addressed a hurried public meeting in Ponda before proceeding to Hubli the same evening. The BJP leader who arrived from Belgaum addressed a public meeting in Ponda before proceeding to Hubli the same evening. The 20-state-yatra has so far covered 16 parliamentary constituencies in Maharashtra and traversed 535 kilometres.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.