Andhra Pradesh - Nellore   

BJP will not support any party in UP: Venkaiah Naidu

Staff Reporter

`Party has no understanding with the SP in the State elections'

NELLORE: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has ruled out the possibility of it supporting any party including the Samajwadi Party (SP) or Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh in the post-poll scenario.

Taking an exception to BSP chief Mayawati's reported statement that the BJP had a tacit electoral understanding with the SP, the BJP senior leader alleged that such an attack on the party was only to wean away a section of the BJP's core support base to her party fold. "We will in no way extend our support to any party in the post-poll scenario as the BJP is pretty confident of securing the highest number of seats in the UP elections," he claimed.

When asked to comment on exit poll surveys, which contradict his claim, the BJP leader asserted that there was an undercurrent in the party's favour, which could place the party in a comfortable position. "Our assessment is based on the exact poll but not based on exit poll surveys, which have been proved wrong many a time," he told The Hindu on Thursday.

Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi for his reported claim that the Babri Masjid would not have been demolished had his father been alive, Mr. Naidu observed that the young Congress leader should have concentrated on pertinent issues. "It is not Babri, but the Babli issue that should matter most, as even the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is completely silent on the subject."

He wondered as to how the Maharashtra could take up construction of Babli project on river Godavari without obtaining permission from the Central Water Commission. "The Prime Minister has to pay attention on such an important issue as a lower riparian State is liable to be exploited by a scheming upper riparian State. Moreover, the project could affect five districts in the Telangana region as more than 15 lakh acres of land will be parched for water if the Maharashtra Government completes the project," he claimed.

The BJP leader alleged that the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president K. Keshavara Rao instead of wielding his influence to stop the construction of Babli project had organised a bandh in five districts of Telangana on April 21 only to divert people's attention from the core issue.

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