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Monday, Apr 07, 2008
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Rajnath: we will cancel schemes aimed at appeasing a community

Discontentment among people, inflation, will dethrone alliance
Says no space for a third front

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party will cancel all schemes being implemented by the United Progressive Alliance government that were aimed at appeasing “a particular community,” according to party president Rajnath Singh.

Mr. Singh, in an interview to PTI here on Sunday, said: “If the NDA comes to power at the Centre in the coming Lok Sabha polls, we will cancel all those schemes announced by the UPA government on the basis of religion to appease a certain section.”

He said the welfare measures announced by the Centre to provide benefit to a particular community was “dangerous” for the country and the NDA would withdraw those schemes straightway. He did not name the community but the reference was apparently to Muslims.

“We will not give scholarship to somebody on the basis of whether he is Muslim or Christian. Our welfare measures will be based on economic condition of the people,” Mr. Singh said.

Confident of the NDA’s return to power in the coming general elections, the BJP president said talks were on with some parties to expand the NDA’s fold. He declined to name the parties.The BJP was ready for the Lok Sabha polls at “any time.”

“I am more than confident that the BJP will emerge as single largest party in the general elections and the NDA will bounce back to power.”

Asked about the BJP’s prospects in the coming Assembly elections in several key States, Mr. Singh said his party was very confident of getting absolute majority in Karnataka. On the Left’s proposal to forge an alternative to the Congress and BJP, Mr. Singh said there was no space for a third front.

Favouring a proactive policy for women in politics, he said the party would allot more seats to women in the coming Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.

On the BJP’s opposition to the India-U.S. civilian nuclear deal, Mr. Singh said the “BJP wants to improve relations with the U.S. but not at the cost of the strategic security interest of the country.” If the NDA came to power it would renegotiate the deal with Washington.

On the Tibet issue, Mr. Singh accused the government of adopting a “weak policy,” saying the government was buckling under the Left’s pressure on it. — PTI

“Forced decision”

Special Correspondent writes:

Mr. Singh lashed out at the Congress for raking up the Kandahar hostage release issue. Addressing a function at the party headquarters to mark the BJP’s Foundation Day, he said: “For us, it was a forced decision, and forced decisions cannot be measured with the yardstick of ethics.”

Stating that the Congress had staged a dharna outside the Prime Minister’s Office during the hijack crisis demanding the release of the hostages, Mr. Singh said the NDA government took the decision in pain and not for any vote bank politics. Further, he went on to add: “These hostages were not our relatives as was in some other cases.”

Mr. Singh said the Congress should answer why Afzal Guru — a key accused in the Parliament attack case — had not been hanged till date. Charging the Congress with indulging in vote bank politics, he said the Congress had always encouraged terrorism for narrow political ends.

Mr. Singh was also critical of the Left parties for supporting the UPA government despite its failures. Referring to their stand that they were supporting the UPA to keep the communal forces at bay, he said: “The nation is well aware about the credentials of every party.”

He also launched a website ( http://www.mycountrymylife.com) dedicated to the autobiography My Country My Life of the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani. It features highlights from the book besides reviews, articles, interviews and comments.

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