I have got more from the party: LK Advani

NEW DELHI: This is not the first time BJP leader LK Advani has said becoming prime minister is not more than what he has got from the party, but like each time it has set off speculation on whether he was giving up his prime ministerial ambitions.

"The party has given me so much all my life that when somebody says you have to become the prime minister, I say becoming prime minister is not more than what I have got from the party," Advani told reporters here, when he was confronted with the familiar question on Thursday, as he turned 85.

Those close to him said there was no need to read too much into the statement, as he had said it several times, including when he undertook the yatra against corruption and black money last year.

According to them, he reiterated it in response to being asked the same question on his birthday. Advani had made a similar statement after a meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat last year. "I would only say that I first became a Swayamsewak, then a member of the Jan Sangh and then BJP."