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BJP gearing up for Lok Sabha polls

Chandigarh Nov 11. Maintaining that it was ``not very happy'' with the performance of the Om Prakash Chautala led INLD government in Haryana, the state unit of BJP would organise several rallies and intensify the party's membership drive over the next few months to gear itself for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

Giving details of the preparations that were already on at a ``massive level'', new state unit chief of the party, Ganeshi Lal, told reporters here that the party intended to enrol 12 lakh members before the Lok Sabha polls scheduled next year.

``So far we have around 2.10 lakh members. There are 1.30 crore voters and 14,873 polling booths in Haryana's 90 Assembly constituencies. We have divided the state into 345 mandals and so far 62,000 workers have had direct interaction with the people to propagate party's programmes and policies,'' he said. Lal, who took over the BJP's reins in the state from Rattan Lal Kataria, while referring to the support of his party to the Chautala government, maintained that the INLD was supporting the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre from outside and the BJP in Haryana was also giving its support to it from outside.

He declined to give a direct answer when asked if the BJP would go it alone in the Lok Sabha or state Assembly elections.

``This is for the party high command to decide. We keep apprising the party leadership from time to time about the performance of our alliance partner, but the ultimate decision rests with them. I am sure our party high command will keep the opinion of state unit in mind when they have to decide,'' he said. Lal said that while the state BJP would highlight the achievements of the Vajpayee-led government at the Centre, it would also raise the issues concerning people of the state. ``The anti-people decisions of the Chautala government like imposition of VAT regime, putting farmers in jails, releasing convicts before time and imposition of tax on people living in self-occupied house, will be highlighted.'' Rallies had already been held in five parliamentary constituencies, Lal said adding from December 13 to December 21, party leaders will address rallies in the remaining Lok Sabha constituencies of Mahendragarh, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Sirsa and Hisar.

Lal said that after a public meeting at Panipat on October 14 addressed among others by Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu, a decision to organise a state level rally on December 21 at Hansi in Hisar district was taken.

He said the party also plans to increase the number of morchas to five from four at present. ``We will be adding Minority Morcha and the number of Cells will be increased from 7 to 26.''

Lal denied his alleged involvement in the smuggling of liquor in Haryana during the prohibition period imposed by the Bansi Lal government.

He claimed that none of the Commissions appointed by the present government to probe into liquor smuggling had called him for recording the statement and he had never been indicted in the report of the ``so called commission''. -- PTI

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