Search the Internet          Tips

Venkaiah pushes BJP's case for early Gujarat election

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which favours an early assembly election in Gujarat, is awaiting the official report of the Election Commission's assessment mission to the riot-torn state before deciding on its next course of action.

Terming Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh's observations during his visit to Ahmedabad and Baroda on the realities there as "unofficial" and "based on media reports", BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu said in Bangalore on Sunday that the situation in Gujarat was normal enough to hold elections.

"The BJP does not share the perceptions and apprehensions of other political parties, which are adopting double standards for the assembly elections in Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir," he said.

"If elections can be held in Kashmir even at the height of cross-border terrorism, with over 200,000 of its people [read Kashmiri Pandits] living in refugee camps outside the state over the years, why can't early elections be held in Gujarat, which has been witnessing complete normalcy during the last three months?" Naidu said.

He recalled that elections had been held in Punjab, Kashmir, and Assam over the last decade in spite of terrorism and violence in all these states, and elected governments had been formed from time to time.

"The EC's report ... is expected in a couple of days. We will wait for its decision on the election dates. As far as the BJP is concerned, we are ready for the polls even next month," he said.

Lambasting the opposition parties for delaying the election, Naidu said they were afraid of facing the electorate.

He refused to answer a question whether the BJP would abide by the Election Commission's decision on the dates, calling it hypothetical.

On the forthcoming election in Jammu & Kashmir, Naidu said the party would contest on its own, without any seat adjustment with the ruling National Conference, though the later is a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre.

"We want to increase our presence in the border state, though we do not have the possibility of coming to power there as our strength is not enough to form the next government on our own," he said.

The BJP's election plank will be the country's security, an end to cross-border terrorism, and an end to the discrimination against Jammu and Ladakh regions, he said.

Calling the controversy on allotment of petrol pumps to party members and their relatives politically motivated, Naidu said it would make no impact on the Gujarat election as the prime minister had proved that the BJP was a party with a difference by cancelling all the allotments.

Unfolding the party's plan to expand its social and political base across the country, Naidu said its two-day session in Bangalore on August 27-28 would focus on south India.

"We will draw up an action plan for strengthening the party base in the run-up to the next parliamentary election due in 2004," he affirmed. "With the change of guard at the leadership level, we will infuse young blood at the cadre level and revitalize the party."

Different plans will be drawn up for the eastern and northeastern states, where too the party has only a nominal presence, by holding similar sessions in Calcutta and Guwahati, respectively, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani will preside over the Bangalore session and guide the deliberations, he said. The state unit presidents of all four southern states and the Union territories of Pondicherry and Andaman & Nicobar Islands will, among others, attend the session.

"There will be a mid-term appraisal of the party as well as of the NDA coalition government at the Centre. We will be taking corrective measures on social, political and economics issues," Naidu said.

Gujarat Elections 2002: The complete coverage

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report