The Hindu : `Only an election issue'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 28, 2004

National

National

`Only an election issue'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 27. A senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader today scoffed the idea of any new government at the Centre bringing forward legislation to bar persons of "foreign origin'' from holding the high post of Prime Minister.

"This is only an issue for a debate during elections,'' said the party leader who preferred not to be identified. "If we wanted to pass legislation, we had six years to do it. Then, if a National Democratic Alliance government is formed again, such legislation will become meaningless. And by some chance, if the Congress were to get power, there would be no such legislation. The issue is only good for an election debate.''

A party functionary made these comments when it was pointed out that a majority of countries in the world, including Italy, did not debar naturalised citizens from holding the highest Constitutional positions.

The BJP dismissed reports of the possibility of the father of the slain BJP leader, Haren Pandya, contesting the elections from Gandhinagar against the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani "as of no consequence." "Why against Advaniji, who had pleaded strongly for the ticket for Haren Pandya? His grouse is really against Narendra Modi (the Gujarat Chief Minister),'' a BJP leader pointed out. As for the "influence'' of Haren Pandya, "his votes were BJP votes.''

The BJP has held back its candidate from Bellary in Karnataka — the seat contested and won by the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, against Sushma Swaraj of the BJP. There were hints that it could declare a young "star'' candidate if the Congress decided to nominate Priyanka, Ms. Gandhi's daughter, as its candidate.

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