The Hindu : National : Acharya's arrest to figure at Ranchi BJP meet

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Wednesday, Nov 24, 2004

National

National

Acharya's arrest to figure at Ranchi BJP meet

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI, NOV. 23. The arrest of the Kanchi Sankaracharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, in a murder case is expected to figure prominently at the Bharatiya Janata Party's national executive committee meeting, starting in Ranchi tomorrow. Although no resolution has been planned on the subject, senior leaders hinted that a separate statement could be issued.

This issue will give a Hindutva content to the meeting, considered a must after the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh made it clear at its recent Hardwar meet that it expected the BJP to remain committed to its ideology. The party president, L.K. Advani, who attended the RSS working committee meeting, had given an assurance that the BJP had no intention to deviate from or dilute its ideological commitment.

Allies' sentiments

However, the party will have to take care of the sentiments of its allies in the National Democratic Alliance, especially the Janata Dal (United), which will be its key ally in Bihar and Jharkhand. The NDA convener and JD(U) leader, George Fernandes, has already extended support on the Sankaracharya issue and therefore any statement by the party on this is not expected to create difficulties for its alliance.

The party's Jharkhand unit has been chosen to host the meet keeping in mind that the State is scheduled to go to the polls in three months along with Bihar and Haryana. From Ranchi, the BJP would like to send out a political message that the Rashtriya Janata Dal of Lalu Prasad is not invincible. "We want to explode the myth that Lalu Prasad cannot be defeated," a party office-bearer said.

As for Jharkhand, the BJP is the ruling party and it is hoping that the presence of some top 200 leaders of the party for three days in Ranchi will create a favourable atmosphere for it. However, the leadership is aware that the going could be tough if the Congress, the RJD, the Left parties and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha were to come together as they did for the Lok Sabha elections.

A detailed resolution has been planned on agriculture and the condition of farmers. "A long-term view has to be taken of India's agriculture to make it vibrant. There is the frightening situation of suicides by farmers in different States, there are the World Trade Organisation agreements for which India's agriculture should be prepared... We are planning a very detailed resolution on this," a BJP leader said. Apparently, the party has decided to devote one of the eight planned sessions entirely to agriculture.

There will be no separate political resolution as one had been adopted very recently at its National Council meeting. But the executive committee will comment on the "six months of failure of the United Progressive Alliance Government and the rising prices which are crushing the common man," a senior party leader told The Hindu from Ranchi.

National security

National security issues could form the subject of another resolution. It is an issue on which the BJP sees eye-to-eye with the RSS and other affiliates such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. The BJP has been accusing the Government of being "soft on terrorists" and has been citing the withdrawal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the talks with Naxals as evidence.

The Government's foreign policy, especially in relation to the ongoing peace process with Pakistan, could also be commented upon either in a resolution or otherwise. The BJP is expected to take the stance that while talking on Kashmir the Government should keep in mind the parliamentary resolution on the subject, asserting that the entire State was an integral part of the country.

The party will also firm up agitational plans on the issue of inflation. A march from Ramlila Maidan to Parliament on December 1, the first day of the winter session of Parliament, has already been announced. The party could also announce plans for an agitation to take up the Sankaracharya arrest issue. The former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had indicated this on Monday, the last day of the party's three-day daily `dharna' here.

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