bjp-l-digest Saturday, January 10 1998 Volume 02 : Number 029
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News, Opinion, Analysis and Publications Digest
Today's Topics
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More on BJP's new website
Mulayam neglecting nation's security: Vajpayee
BJP inching towards majority
Sonia is an unopen envelop: Mahajan
Kashi, Mathura won't be on agenda even after polls: Vajpayee
MGK Mennon joins BJP
BJP disagrees with Thackeray on Ayodhya
BJP "Net" voters
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Date: Jan. 9, 1998
Source: Indian Express
BJP in the net; not to be caught in web of uneasy issues
Angana Parekh
NEW DELHI, January 8: Cyberspace will
acquire a new shade of saffron next
week when the Bharatiya Janata Party's
revamped, user-friendly website becomes
operational. Complete with a new
election theme song that extols Atal
Behari Vajpayee, the BJP is set to open
up another front in the battle for the
ballot.
The BJP is the only party here to have
its own website. And ideology is no bar
when it comes to hi-tech: The
inspiration for the web site has come
from unlikely quarters - Benazir
Bhutto's People's Party and
Britain's Labour Party, besides the
Conservative Party and Germany's
Christian Democratic Union.
The BJP roped in a private Mumbai-based
company, Internetindia, to redesign the
website, while the election theme song
has been written by two Marathi theatre
artistes and admen from Mumbai. Several
films are also being made by private
filmmakers and are to be screened,
probably through video vans, during the
elections. The refrain, ``Man mein
nishchay atal ho (be firm in your
resolve)''- punning on the word
``atal'' - runs through both the films
and the theme song.
The BJP's earlier website, called
``Kamal Darshan'', was created by the
Overseas Friends of the BJP in the US
last year. Finding that updating was
inconvenient, the entire site has now
been transferred to India and is ready
in its new avatar.
``Welcome to the official website of
India's largest political party,
committed to the goal of transforming
the world's oldest civilisation into a
strong, prosperous and confident nation
occupying her rightful position in the
global community,'' says the opening
bar.
The website offers comprehensive
information about the party, its
policies and ideology and a link to the
websites of the entire Sangh combine -
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Vishwa
Hindu Parishad, Bajarang Dal, Vidya
Bharati, et al. Also portraits of the
BJP's two stars, L K Advani and
Vajpayee, complete with photographs and
audio speeches. For the human touch, a
recording of Vajpayee reading his own
poetry has also been added.
Will this foray into cyberspace
propaganda boost the BJP's prospects in
the elections? Not directly, says a
party ideologue. ``This is targeted
towards opinion-makers.'' There is a
bulletin board for surfers to interact
with each other. The BJP hopes to get
some feedback on the response to its
website from this.
For a glimpse into the world of the
BJP, click http://www.bjp.org.
------------------------------
Date: Jan. 9, 1998
Source: The Hindu
'Mulayam neglecting country's security'
GULBARGA, Jan. 8.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Mr. Atal Behari
Vajpayee today criticised the Defence Minister, Mr.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, for his alleged indifference to
protecting the country's borders and facing the
challenge posed by ``a neighbouring country''.
Addressing a public meeting here, to launch the party's
campaign in the district, Mr. Vajpayee said that at a
time when the country was facing a serious threat from a
neighbouring country, Mr. Yadav had no time to spare to
protect the borders. He devoted his entire time to
making plans for fighting the Lok Sabha elections and
selecting a constituency to contest from.
Mr. Vajpayee took exception to Mr. Yadav's statement
against the Prime Minister, Mr. I. K. Gujral, that he
would not campaign for Mr. Gujral if he accepted the
support of the Akali Dal to contest from the Jalandhar
Lok Sabha constituency. He said: ``This is a serious
matter. The Defence Minister criticising the Prime
Minister is unheard of.'' Mr. Gujral contesting from
Jalandhar and accepting support from the Akali Dal were
internal matters of the United Front which should be
sorted out by the Front leaders, not by public debate.
``If such aberrations are there in the Union Cabinet,
how can the country command respect in the international
community,'' Mr. Vajpayee wondered. The BJP wanted peace
both inside the country and on the border. It also
wanted India to be alert to activities of the hostile
neighbour.
Mr. Vajpayee said the simmering discontent in the United
Front was evident and it would break up before the Lok
Sabha elections. Neither the UF nor the Congress(I)
could come to power. The strength of the Congress(I) in
the Lok Sabha would be reduced, he added.
Mr. Vajpayee said that the BJP, unlike other parties,
did not consider Muslims a vote bank. ``We see Muslims
as our brethren and as citizens of the country. The BJP
wants Indian Muslims to live with dignity and get
benefits available to other communities in the
country.'' The secular nature of the country could not
be changed by a political party, and India would remain
secular, he asserted.
He said wherever the BJP was in power, Muslims lived in
peace and there were no instances of communal clashes.
He criticised the former Chief Minister of Bihar, Mr.
Laloo Prasad Yadav, Mr. Yadav's ``Secular Front'' and
his description of the BJP as communal party.
Mr. Vajpayee said that instability had affected India's
image and affected the country's development. Industrial
and agricultural production and exports had come down.
He said that under pressure from the international
community, duties on imported goods were slashed at the
cost of Indian industry and domestic industrial
production. ``The country's freedom would be under
threat if policies are evolved on the threat of the
international community.''
Mr. Vajpayee said that even after 50 years of
Independence, over 40 per cent of the population was
poor and over 50 per cent deprived of education. This
was due to the misrule of successive governments at the
Centre. In the field of science and technology, the
country had a number of achievements. Production of
foodgrains had also improved. But the exploitation of
the farmers continued and they did not get remunerative
prices for their produce.
The President of the State unit of the BJP, Mr. B. S.
Yediyurappa, and the leader of the BJP in the
Legislative Council, Dr. M. R. Tanga, spoke. Mr.
Basavaraj Patil Sedam, who may be the party's candidate
in Gulbarga, welcomed the gathering. Later, Mr. Vajpayee
and Mr. Yediyurappa left for Hubli by helicopter.
------------------------------
Title: BJP inching towards majority
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: January 4, 1998
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with its allies, is inching towards
the majority mark in the next Lok Sabha, according to a nationawide opinion
poll conducted by C-Voter for The Pioneer.
The opinion poll, with a sample size of 20,421 respondents scattered over
48 Lok Sabha seats in 17 States, was conducted in the last week of December
1997. A back-up poll of 4,120 respondents was undertaken on January 2 and
3.
The main findings of the opinion poll are:
- - The BJP and allies are likely to win 260 to 270 seats, helped by a
positive swing of 8 per cent.
- - Congress and allies may have a tally of 130 to 140 seats with a negative
swing of 6 per cent.
- - The United Front is likely to finish with 115 to 125 seats with a
negative swing of 9 per cent.
- - The BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the most favoured of the prime
ministerial candidates, scoring almost 50 per cent points on the popularity
chart.
- - Ms Sonia Gandhi=92s campaign for the Congress may not have much impact on
the outcome. Nearly 60 per cent of the respondents ruled out the
possibility of the Congress reaping a rich electoral harvest owing to the
Sonia factor. However, a clearer picture will emerge when Ms Gandhi hits
the campaign trail.
Most of the seats to the BJP may accrue from the North and the West zones
where it is poised to sweep the polls.
The BJP and its allies seem to have finally broken the 30 per cent-vote
jinx - thanks to its alliance with the All India Anna DMK (AIADMK) in Tamil
Nadu, the Biju Janata Dal in Orissa and the Trinamul Congress in West
Bengal. Though BJP=92s alliance with the Trinamul Congress has not yet been
formalised, voters have started visualising them as pollpartners. The BJP
allies are likely to get the lion=92s share of 36 per cent of the total
votes.
The C-Voter poll reveals that 77 per cent of the voters have made up their
mind on the party they would support, leaving 23 per cent in the =93still
confused=94 category. This includes those who are in no mood to cast their
vote.
A hefty positive swing of about 14 per cent votes makes BJP the frontrunner
in the East zone comprising Bihar, West Bengal and Orissa. The United Front
is on the second slot. But the balance may tilt further in favour of the
saffron brigade once campaigning begins.
A similar scenario obtains in the North where, barring Himachal Pradesh
where the Congress is well-entrench and some resistance
>from Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar
Pradesh, the entire Hindi belt may go wholehog for the BJP and its allies.
In Punjab, the BJP-Akali combine is sitting pretty, except in Jalandhar,
where the Akalis have decided to back Mr I K Gujral, putting the BJP in a
fix.
In Haryana, the BJP-HVP combine faces a rough weather with Mr Devi Lal and
son Chautala joining hands with BSP chief Kansi Ram. Still the resistance
put up by them may not make much difference to the final tally of seats.
While in Delhi the BJP is set to repeat its performance, in Himachal
Pradesh the Congress has the edge and Mr Sukh Ram may not prove too big a
hurdle for it.
In the West zone, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance has consolidated its position
in Maharashtra, making inroads in western Maharashtra. Any strategic
alliance between the SP and the Congress may produce some very keen
contests in the Mumbai region; there are about six seats where the minority
support to the SP may prove to be decisive. ,
In Gujarat, there is already a surge for the saffron brigade. And, if BJP
president L K Advani contests from Gandhinagar, it will boost the party's
prospects. The Rashtriya Janata Party- Congress alliance is off the mark
and many stalwarts may bite the dust, losing even their deposits.
In Rajasthan, the BJP is on a sticky wicket. But the prospects for the
Congress in the State appear even worse with no towering personality in the
party's ranks to enchash on the anger of the people.
South India, reckoned a stronghold of the Congress and the United Front,
will this time around witness three-cornered contests in many
constituencies. Though the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) appears well-placed in
Andhra, the shift of votes from the Congress towards the BJP-NTR (Laxmi
Parvathi) alliance may throw up a surprise or two.
While in Kerala its will be United Front versus the Congress, in Karnataka
the BJP is waiting for Lok Shakti chief Ramakrishna Hegde to join hands. If
he does. the combine may well have a bearing on the outcome.
Tamil Nadu is set to witness for the first time three-cornered contests.
Though the DMK-TMC alliance appears to be comfortably placed, given the
'Super-sensitive" attitude of the voters in this State big surprises may
well be in store.
Stability and corruption are likely to be the cornerstone of electoral
issues with almost about three fourths of the respondents sensitive to
these issues in the poll. Much-drummed "secularism" may fall by the wayside
with a majority saying "no" to the anti-secular tag associated with the
BJP. Though still about 44 per cent of the voters doubt the secular
credentials of the party, concern for stability may do the trick for it.
With the stability plank having slipped out of both the United Front and
the Congress hands in the' aftermath of the developments leading to the
dissolution of the eleventh Lok Sabha, about half of the voters now accept
tile BJP is a "viable" alternative.
On the issue of corruption, too, the saffron brigade stands to gain with
respondents calling it the "least corrupt" of the political parties. The
party owes it to Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, its prime ministerial candidate.
who has helped the public perception of BJP being a clean image. In prime
ministerial race, he is far ahead of others, touching 50 per cent points on
the popularity chart. Mr Vajpayee's image seems to have been bolstered by
the live telecast of parliamentary proceedings during the confidence
motions brought in the eleventh Lok Sabha. There is also "sympathy" for
United Front leaders H D Deve Gowda and I K Gujral. The Congress prodigies
are at the rock-bottom in terms of individual popularity.
To the million dollar question -- will Sonia Gandhi's entry result in
victory for the Congress? -- the answer at the moment seems to be a big
"no" with almost about 60 per cent of the respondents ruling out any impact
by her presence in the electoral arena. Though one third of them are still
hopeful for the Congress, the final picture will emerge only after Ms
Gandhi starts campaigning for the party.
C-VOTER NATIONWIDE OPINION POLL
PROJECTIONS
BJP & Allies ******************** 260-270 Cong & Allies ************ 130-140
United Front ********* 115-125
Others *** 15-25
Sonia=92s entry into politics will lead to Congress victory No =
************ 59%
Yes ******** 35%
Can=92t say ** 6%
BJP Government will be a threat to secularism No ********** 50%
Yes ******** 44%
Can=92t say ** 6%
Stability & corruption are the main issues of this poll Yes
**************** 73%
No ***** 21%
Can=92t say ** 6%
Who is best suited to be the Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee ********** 48%
Sonia Gandhi ***** 24%
I.K. Gujral *** 14%
Others *** 14%
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -----------
The performance of the United Front government in last one year was (a)
Okay 47
(b) Disappointing 34
(c) Good 18
Congress and United teamed up -----
(a) To save their corrupt leaders
Yes 62
No 31
Can=92t say 07
(b) Only to grab power
Yes 57
No 35
Can=92t say 08
(c) To uphold secularism
No 48
Yes 43
Can=92t say 09
(d) To check BJP=92s growth
Yes 76
No 21
Can=92t say 03
UF government was aborted by Congress for no reason: Yes 63
No 32
Can=92t say 05
BJP can give stable government
Yes 46
No 46
Can=92t say 08
Which political party can give the least corrupt government: (a) BJP 45
(b) Unite Front 21
(c) Congress 16
(d) Others 31
Have you made up your mind, whom you are going to vote in 1998 polls Yes
77
No 23
If yes whom do you intend to support in the forthcoming polls Combination
India N S E W
BJP & Allies 36 40 24 33 45
INC & Allies 24 22 25 21 31
United Front 21 14 26 32 09
Others 19 24 25 14 15
Swing of votes
Combination India N S E W
BJP & Allies 8 3 7 14 3
INC & Allies -6 -1 -8 -9 -7
United Front -9 -1 -19 -11 1
Did you watch proceedings of parliament on television: No 56
Yes 54
If yes which leader impress you most:
Atal Behari Vajpayee 48
Sushma Swaraj 10
H.D. Deve Gowda 09
I.K. Gujral 08
Ram Vilas Paswan 06
Rajesh Pilot 04
Somnath Chattergee 04
Sharad Pawar 03
Indrajit Gupta 03
Sharad Yadav 02
Priyaranjan D. Munshi 02
Jaswat Singh 01
------------------------------
Date: Jan. 9, 1998
Source: Rediff on the Net
Interview with Pramod Mahajan
'Sonia Gandhi is an unopen envelope. Nobody knows what is
written inside'
Pramod Mahajan spearheads the
Bharatiya Janata Party campaign in
Maharashtra. He is also one of the party's most important
national leaders today, who has played a crucial role in
forging new alliances, bringing in dissidents from other
political parties. What does he see as the BJP's chances
in the coming election? Will Sonia Gandhi's entry change
his party's campaign strategy? Is his party slowly
changing colours? Pritish Nandy finds out.
Will the entry of Sonia Gandhi change the course of the
coming election?
I don't think so. Sonia Gandhi cannot be more powerful
than Rajiv Gandhi, who could not give the Congress more
than 200 seats. He tried twice. In 1989 and 1991 when,
despite the so-called sympathy factor, the Congress could
not get more than 200 seats. Now, after 7 long years, how
do you expect the same sympathy factor to get them more
than 200 seats? No, I do not think she will make any
difference. Except that the Congress today does not have
a leader who can attract a public meeting of, say, 2,000
people. Here comes this mystery lady who evokes
curiosity. Maybe she will attract 100,000 people to come
and see her campaign. It will be curiosity that will draw
them, not politics.
Why do you say that? She will be the face on the posters.
Not Sitaram Kesri.
Frankly, Pritish, it is too early to assess her as a
politician. And, unless one assesses her so, it is
difficult to predict what her real impact on the
electorate will be. Her face is not enough. She has, till
today, never addressed a public meeting for more than
five minutes. She has never handled a press conference,
never faced any journalist. So I do not even know how she
will face basic questions on national issues.
Till today, Sonia Gandhi is an unopen envelope. Nobody
knows what is written inside. Once we know, we can make a
proper assessment. Till then, we do not want to comment
on her as a person. Nobody knows whether she will
actually campaign. How she will campaign. Whether she
will contest the elections or not. Everything is
uncertain as of now.
Will her entry into politics rake up old issues, old
wounds? Bofors, HDW, Westland... all the old deals, the
scandals, the scams which the BJP made political capital
of?
Once she enters politics, it is only natural that
everything will come up. Starting with her refusal to
take Indian citizenship for so many years to all issues
relating to corruption during the Rajiv Gandhi era...
Do you see this as a strategic blunder by the Congress
where old issues get an opportunity to spring up again?
Or do you think it will help them increase their seats in
Parliament?
It is too early to say. Till now, my impression is that
this election is not revolving around issues. It is
revolving around the idea of an able prime minister and a
stable government. The Congress is clearly unable to
offer a stable government and, as far as an able prime
minister is concerned, Atalji is way ahead of everyone --
including Sonia Gandhi -- in all the newspaper polls. So
I do not think Sonia Gandhi can make any material
difference to the election outcome.
What is the agenda before the nation? What are we going
to vote for?
See, this is the 12th Lok Sabha election. Up to the
eighth Lok Sabha, seven elections were won by the
Congress with a comfortable majority. Sometimes even with
a brute majority. The Janata Party won one election. From
the ninth Lok Sabha onwards, we have had three hung
Parliaments. People are now tired of this instability and
want a capable government that can run its full term. And
they think the BJP can provide this.
Congress victories ride piggyback on dead Gandhis. Indira
Gandhi's assassination gave them a landslide mandate.
Rajiv Gandhi's murder improved their numbers. Isn't Sonia
Gandhi tempting providence too much by joining politics?
Politics is always a high risk profession. It is
everybody's personal decision whether they want to take
this chance or not. Yes, it is a risk. But everyone in
politics takes this risk.
I would also disagree with you that Rajiv Gandhi's
assassination improved the numbers. In Uttar Pradesh, if
my memory serves me right, there are 85 seats. Before
Rajiv's assassination, 45 seats were polled and 40 after
his assassination. The Congress got four out of the 45
seats polled before Rajiv's death. One of them was his
own seat. After his death, only Kalpnath Rai won in UP.
Just one Congress seat out of the balance 40! So where
was your sympathy vote?
In Gujarat, if I remember right, almost all the seats
went for polling after the assassination. Yet the BJP
managed to get 52 per cent of the votes! What sympathy
vote are we talking about?
How many seats do you expect to win in the forthcoming
election?
Between 225 to 230 seats. Our alliance partners will
bring in another 80 or 90 seats. But you must remember
one thing: This is too early to assess the results. The
kind of response we are currently getting, I will not be
surprised if the BJP gets a clear majority on its own.
Are you joking? Where will the seats come from? What are
the arithmetics?
Let the polls come close. I will give you the state-wise
numbers. At this stage, I am only indicating broad
patterns, outlines, trends. We are clearly ahead of
everyone.
What about internal dissensions? Your own seat is being
claimed by a party dissenter, who is hellbent on fighting
you. Plus, the number of unscrupled alliances you are
forging nationwide -- with people like Jayalalitha -- and
those you are bringing into the party -- from Sanjay
Singh to Suresh Kalmadi to Mani Shankar Aiyar -- don't
you think you will soon reach a stage when the BJP will
lose its shining image and start looking like a Congress
clone?
Disgruntled elements are always there. I am not worried
about my seat. In 1996, I stood after 12 years and got 48
per cent of the vote, though I had virtually no contact
with my constituency. And there was no BJP wave either!
Gurudas Kamat and Ramdas Athavale got only 25 per cent of
the votes each. So, even in a one to one contest, I am
safe. I have been in constant touch with my constituency
during the past 18 months. They have also seen my
performance in Parliament, in national politics. They
know I am miles ahead of the rest. Also, this time, I am
with a winning party.
But there is a reason for disgruntlement. The BJP has
changed its political style, its manifesto, its moral
code. How do you expect supporters to stand by you?
For a political party there are no soft options. Analysts
can say what they want but we have to look at ground
realities. For so many years they have accused us of
being isolated. They called us untouchables. They said
that the BJP will always remain within striking distance
of power but can never make it.
We are trying to show people that this is not true. Look,
we are not untouchables. Everyone is ready to join us,
align with us. We are the central focus of all political
activity in India today. Our alliances (whatever you may
say) are bound to increase our reach, our influence, our
impact nationwide.
But I agree with you, we must be very cautious about the
kind of people we are admitting into the party. There we
cannot afford to be so careless. You may think many
people are joining the BJP. But when the tickets are
given out, I assure you, you will see that not more than
two per cent will go to these new entrants. This is an
affordable price to pay in politics.
Why do you have so many critics within the BJP who accuse
you of being a lobbyist for large business houses, who
resent your lifestyle, your growing political clout? They
also accuse you of masterminding the strategy of bringing
in riff-raff from the Congress.
Disgruntled elements will always
remain. But let me tell you frankly, I
was never a fund raiser. I was not the treasurer of the
BJP at any point of time. Like all political leaders I
also collect a little money for the party. I come from
the commercial capital of India. So I know many
industrialists. That is not a crime. I am voted from a
constituency which has 200,000 Muslims, 200,000 dalits.
So you cannot accuse me of representing only the
interests of the rich and the powerful.
I have led Maharashtra politics for the BJP for the last
13 years. I have openly stated that even if five per cent
of the workers do not want me, I am ready to step down.
Which other political leader can say this? This is my
level of confidence in those who work for me and the BJP.
Why should I worry about my critics?
As for bringing in people into the BJP, my house is
always open to dissidents of other parties. My leaders
know that. I do nothing behind their back.
------------------------------
Date: Jan. 10, 1998
Source: Economic Times
`Kashi, Mathura won't be on agenda even after polls'
THE BHARATIYA Janata Party has put Mandir and Hindutva on
the back-burner for the time being. The new mantra is
stability and national consensus. And the face that
represent this mantra is Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, the
party's prime minister-in-waiting. On the election trail
through Maharashtra, Mr Vajpayee defined the BJP as a
``centrist party, neither left nor right''. He wooed the
farmers with the promise of crop and cattle insurance, the
youth and women with free education till college graduation
and the middle classes with the assurance of a stable and
corruption-free regime. His language is conciliatory, never
strident.
While hitting out at the Congress(I), or attacking the
United Front, he deftly avoids attacking personalities.
Even Bofors and the Sonia factor find no mention in his
speeches. In a late-night session with The Economic Times
and Navbharat Times after he had finished with the last of
his Marathwada rallies at Latur, he spoke on a variety of
economic and political issues. Excerpts:
You have said the BJP does not believe in government
controls. At the same time you want to bring in social
schemes involving subsidies and review the policy of
liberalisation. How do you intend balancing the two
seemingly contradictory positions?
We are for foreign investment coming in. But this
investment should be in infrastructure projects. The
foreign companies should participate in the long-term
future of the country. Of course, they must make their
profits, but they have to grow with the nation. What we see
today is only market operations through shares and
portfolio investments. Look what has happened to Korea. The
multinationals only seem to be interested in gobbling up
Indian companies.
Is Enron Corp any different?
Yes. It is an infrastructure project. After all the talk,
it is the only power project that has come through in the
last two years.
The United Front speaks the same economic language. How are
you different from them?
The difference will be in implementation. Under the UF,
liberalisation has hardly reached the states. Resources are
lying around unused and there are no directions for the
bureaucrats. Government lands are encroached upon by
builders.
Housing is a major issue today and the UF has done nothing
about it. Our Uttar Pradesh government has just completed
10,000 houses for the poor. The financial institutions must
be coaxed to lend more in this direction.
Which industrialists are you putting up as Lok Sabha
candidates. We have heard the names of Viren Shah, O P
Jindal and Srichand Hinduja.
We have not decided as yet. Viren Shah is of couse our man.
Srichand Hinduja?...(laughs)...No, No!
The BJP has been promising a clean and corruption-free
administration. But is it not true that your party played
foul in UP?
We are not happy with what happened in UP. But our
opponents had mistaken our principled politics as
stupidity. We had to show that both sides can play foul. It
was to stop others from playing foul.
All along we had stopped our legislators from jumping into
the well of the house. Despite all we said, the others
continued the practice. Now we too have decided to jump
into the well!
What has become of Kashi and Mathura? The VHP still swears
by them. So how do you propose to resolve this
contradiction with the other members of the Sangh Parivar?
Kashi and Mathura were not our agenda before the elections.
And they will not be on our agenda after the elections.
This will continue to be the position till we have an
agenda! (laughs)
Our party will guarantee the safety of Muslims. It is true
we have a contradiction with the VHP and we will have to
find ways to sort it out.
On the other hand, the Ram Mandir (at Ayodhya) is already
there. Puja is going on. Muslims have not demanded that the
Babri Masjid should be rebuilt. Even the Kaba Imam, when he
visited India, said if there was a mandir there, Muslims
should give it back. There is rethinking among the Muslims.
As Aslam Sher Khan (former Union minister who has joined
the BJP) said: ``The question is not one of Babri; but that
of `barabari' (equality).''
Why do you think the BJP will win this election and what is
your gameplan?
The BJP will win because the UF is a decimated lot and the
country holds the Congress(I) responsible for forcing
unseasonal elections. Together with our friends, we had 200
seats.
The response we are getting at our rallies shows that this
number can only go up. It is difficult to convert the wave
into votes but it is not impossible. Our strategy is to
appeal to the youth; and we are trying to get more people
to vote. A higher turnout will benefit us.
Why are you focusing on `stability' as an issue? After all,
it has always been a Congress(I) slogan.
`Stability' is the new burning issue before the country.
That is why we have taken it on our agenda. Yes, it has
been the Congress(I)'s slogan; but now we have snatched it
from them! (laughs)
Your party had taken a strong stand against foreign
infiltration. What will be your policy in case you win the
elections?
Infiltration by foreigners has become a fait accompli. What
we could consider are work permits for them so that there
is at least a record to distinguish them from Indian
citizens.
------------------------------
Date: Jan. 10, 1998
Source: Economic Times
MGK Menon, Gajapathi join BJP
LEADING scientist and former minister in the V P Singh
government, Mr M G K Menon, today joined the BJP in the
presence of party president L K Advani. ``Only a BJP-led
government provides a hope of recapturing the elan of a
resurgent India,'' Mr Menon said and Mr Advani said his
(Menon's) entry ``has enhanced the prestige of the party''.
The former minister has been made a member of the BJP's
election manifesto committee. Besides Mr Menon, the other
two entrants to the party were Mr Gopinath Gajapathi of the
Congress(I) who had given up his Berhampur Lok Sabha seat
in Orissa for former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao and
Swami Indravesh of Bharatiya Arya Pratinidhi Sabha from
Haryana.
------------------------------
Date: Jan. 10, 1998
Source: Times of India
BJP disagrees with Thackeray
NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party has
disagreed with Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's
proposal that a national monument be made at the
site of the demolished Babri Masjid with both
Hindus and Muslims building their shrines on
separate plots in Ayodhya.
Reacting to the Sena chief's statement in Mumbai,
BJP vice- president K L Sharma said here on
Friday that his party had nothing to do with Mr
Thackeray's proposal. ``This proposal is not part
of the common programme that the BJP and the Sena
in Maharashtra agreed to,'' Mr Sharma said.
------------------------------
Date: Jan. 9, 1998
Source: The Telegraph
SAFFRON TO 'NET' VOTERS
FROM RADHIKA RAMASESHAN
New Delhi, Jan. 8
The BJP will soon launch itself on the
Internet as part of a hi-tech pre-poll
publicity exercise.
The BJP's website - the first such website
created by a political party in the country -
has been redesigned by a Mumbai-based firm,
Internet India.
The BJP's earlier website, called Kamal
Darshan after the party's lotus symbol, was
evolved by NRIs who called themselves the
Overseas Friends of BJP.
Log on to the web address http: \\www.bjp.org
and you will be "welcomed" to the official
website of "India's largest political party
committed to the goal of transforming the
world's oldest civilisation into a strong,
prosperous and confident nation occupying her
rightful position in the global community".
The bombastic preamble is accompanied by a
visual of the lotus and photographs of BJP's
shadow Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and L.K.
Advani.
The site has everything you wanted to know
about Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani - the
goody-goody bits that is. Their backgrounds,
political initiation, Mr Vajpayee's poetry,
his speeches and Mr Advani's rath yatras.
There are musical renditions of Mr Vajpayee's
poems too.
The site will also play the theme campaign
song which focuses on Mr Vajpayee's persona.
Penned by Marathi theatre artis-tes, Vinay and
Vivek Apte, BJP sources said the song's
refrain was, "Man mein nishhchay atal ho (May
our determination be strong)" in a clever play
on the word 'Atal' which means strong.
Conceding that the hype and hoopla on the web
may not drastically affect its electoral
fortunes, a BJP functionary said: "It is a
medium of communication for that one per cent
which has a disproportionate influence in
politics, economics and even elections."
Our Hyderabad correspondent adds the BJP plans
to place on the Internet a chargesheet against
Telugu Desam to counter the campaign of chief
minister N. Chandra Babu Naidu.
------------------------------
End of bjp-l-digest V2 #29
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