Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani on Friday denied there was any leadership crisis in the Bharatiya Janata Party and accused the media of creating controversies.

"Sometimes I feel like laughing about how controversies are made without any basis. I didn't comment and I don't want to comment, make any statement. There is absolutely nothing in it," he said before boarding a flight to Mumbai en route to his 12-day tour of USA and Britain.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee statement on Wednesday that Advani would lead the BJP into the next general election had led to much speculation in the media about the prime minister making way for his deputy.

Since prime minister's statement followed close on the heels of a comment by BJP chief about the party projecting both Vajpayee and Advani on an equal footing in the run-up to the next general election, it was seen as a sign of a growing rift between the BJP's two seniormost leaders.

"My respect for newspapers has gone down that much," Advani said.