UNI
Indian Express
Posted on
TitlNew chapter opens for BJP Author: UNI Publication: Indian Express DatAugust 25, 2000 NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party will open a new chapter in its two-decades old history when its National Council meets at Nagpur for two days from April 27. It will be a meeting under the party's amended constitution which provides for a one term of three years for its president. Again it will for the first time a dalit leader--Bangaru Laxman will head the party. BJP spokesman M Venkaiah Naidu said his is the only all India political party in the country since independence which has the distinction of elevating a dalit to this highest post. ''Now no one can accuse us of being a party of high castes only,'' he asserted. Another unique feature of this council meeting is that it is meeting at the headquarters of its political mentor--Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh for the first time. Outgoing president Kushbhau Thakre will preside over the outgoing national executive meeting of the party a day earlier. It will finalise the draft political and economic resolutions that are to be endorsed by the council. Nearly 1400 delegates, including Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, home minister Lal Krishna Advani, HRD minister Murali Manohar Joshi, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, finance minister Yashwant Sinha, parliamentary affairs minister Pramod Mahajan, information and broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley will attend the meeting. Thakre will hand over the baton to Laxman on August 27. The political resolution will express satisfaction that by and large, the law and order situation in the country is peaceful barring stray incidents on bomb blasts at churches in some parts of the country. And that the country is free of communal violence will also be reflected in the resolution. There will be special reference to efforts by the government to bring about normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir and how Pakistan disdesperately trying to derail the peace talks. The corner stone of the political resolution on this issue is that India is ready to talk to any group that believes in restoring peace in that northern state. And there will be no talks with Pakistan unless it categorically says that it will not encourage trans-border terrorism. That the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has fulfilled its promise made in its election manifesto by carving out three separate states of Jharkahand, Chhatisgarh and Uttaranchal will also find a special place in the political resolution. The economic resolution will defend the government's open policy in inviting foreign investment. And to carry on with the second phase of economic liberalisation policy by opening up of other fields for foreign investments. Prime Minister Vajpayee will address a public meeting on August 27 evening. Besides the party president, home minister Advani and some prominent leaders of the host state Maharashtra will also speak. On arrival tomorrow, Vajpayee will visit Dr Hegdewar Bhavan, the RSS head quarters and also the place where Dr B R Ambedkar embraced Budhism. On his party, the president elect Laxman, before starting from here for Nagpur this evening by train, will pay homage at Rajghat and offer prayers. UN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Overseas Friends of the BJP (USA) .............. Voic(718) 271-0453 54-15, 108th St. ................................. Fax: (718) 271-1906 Corona, NY 11368............................ WWW: http://www.ofbjp.org BJP's Websithttp://www.bjp.org Worldwide Friends of the BJ http://www.ofbjp.org/fob
This archive was generated by (modified version of) hypermail.pl 1.00