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Monday, Jan 28, 2008
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Seize the next chance, Rajnath tells party

Special Correspondent

Victory in the 2009 Lok Sabha election will depend on ability to claim new areas and make new alliance partners

— Photo: V.V. Krishnan

BJP president Rajnath Singh and senior leader L.K. Advani at the party’s national executive meeting in New Delhi on Sunday.

NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party president, Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that the party’s victory in the next Lok Sabha election would depend on its ability to claim new areas and make new alliance partners.

Delivering his opening speech at the meeting of the one-day national executive committee meeting here, he recommended that the party put its maximum effort into the ongoing programme of the BJP presence at every polling booth.

The usual references were made to internal security, the languishing farm sector and high price rises. Ram Sethu also figured prominently with Mr. Singh saying that together with the dangers to food and energy security, internal and strategic security, a new danger was to “cultural security.”

The party’s other Hindutva issues like Ram temple, abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution and uniform civil code did not figure in his speech. It was seen as an attempt to keep the NDA allies in good humour.

Finally, the party, he said, should seize the Lok Sabha election of 2009 as an opportunity once again to fulfil the dream that could not be realised when the party lost the 2004 election.

Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani skipped the customary valedictory address saying that he would speak at the end of the two-day National Council meeting starting Monday.

The executive discussed and finalised the two resolutions, one political and the other on the farm sector to be adopted by the Council.

The resolution to amend the party constitution to give 33 per cent of positions to women had already been approved by the executive committee at its Bhopal session. The amendment is expected to be adopted on Monday.

Several party Chief Ministers addressed the executive and apprised the 212 delegates about the preparations for the Lok Sabha election. The executive also reviewed preparations for Assembly elections in States that will go to polls this year.

Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told the press that in Karnataka the BJP planned to go it alone in the polls, as its experiment with the Janata Dal (Secular) had failed.

The party programme of BJP presence at every polling booth was reviewed with six States saying that they had completed the exercise “hundred per cent” while seven others said 75 per cent of the work had been completed. Other States hope to cover their entire region in the next few months.

Bharat Ratna

The BJP criticised the UPA government for not conferring Bharat Ratna on the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and strongly attacked it for setting a precedent of honouring a Minister with Padma Vibhushan as done in the case of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said Mr. Vajpayee, as an elder statesman, “fully deserved” the Bharat Ratna.

Mr. Advani had released to the press his letter to the Prime Minister suggesting that Mr. Vajpayee be given the award.

Following publicity to Mr. Advani’s letter, several politicians demanded Bharat Ratna for their party leaders, including Mayawati, who said Bahujan Samaj Party founder Kanshi Ram deserved the award.

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