In an informal talk with Express Newsline, the former Union finance Minister, who stopped briefly in Vadodara on his way to Ahmedabad, attributed this to the recent political developments. And all political scientists and the political majors knew it quite well that the time of single-party rule was over, he added.

Spelling out the reasons for the mid-term elections, he cited the recent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) convention at Nagpur and the Congress national body meet at New Delhi.

It was for the first time in the history of the RSS conventions that a press conference was held by their office-bearer following the convention to announce dissatisfaction with the ruling BJP, Dandavate said, quoting reports from various newspapers and news magazines.

``And now the Congress too is seeking support from like-minded parties to oust the BJP government, unlike in the past when it sought to come to power single-handedly'', he added.

Dandavate strongly opposed the BJP's functioning, especially the way it was handling the liberalisation and globalisation of national economy. According to Dandavate, while there was no point in inviting multi-national companies into sectors like insurance, areas which needed foreign economic support were being ignored by the Centre.

``The very purpose behind independence and Constitutional freedom in the country seems to have been defeated because of the various political parties' policies,'' he claimed, while referring to polices of both the Congress and the BJP.

He however, singled out the BJP, while referring to the attacks on the minorities. Any government would now have to strive to maintain the secular and the federal character of the country which seemed to be at stake, he added.

Interestingly, Dandavate did not clarify his stand on JD's support to Congress in case of mid-term polls. ``Everything depended on the trucks, schemes and plans of the Congress. If these got along with ours, it would be considered,'' he said.

Dandavate said that he had held a series of meeting with the State JD workers since Sunday morning exhorting them to work to strengthen the Party's organisation and activities. He said JD would emerge out with flying colours even as special activities involving `havenots' in all the parts of the State would soon start. ``Special thought-provoking function like debates, lectures and meetings would be organised by the party'', he added.