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Political reallignment after assembly polls: Venkaiah

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Kochi, Mar 18: Charging the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government with pursuing a 'communal and divisive agenda', Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Venkaiah Naidu today (Mar 18, 2006) claimed there would be a 'reallignment of political forces' after the April-May assembly elections. ''The Congress hold on the coalition Government will get reduced after the assembly elections. The UPA will become DPA (Divided Progressive Alliance),'' he said, addressing a press conference here.

Stating that there would be reallignment of political forces after the assembly elections, Mr Naidu said the Samajwadi Party was 'up in arms against the UPA.' The Bahujan Samaj Party and the Telganana Rashtriya Sangh (TRS) were also turning against the Government while in Tamil Nadu, the MDMK of Mr Vaiko had already left the DMK-led DPA front and may quit the UPA also under pressure from DMK leader M Karunanidhi.

''The Left parties have also increased their tone and tenor of criticism of the Government on every issue. Mr Sitaram Yechury has said the Left parties will not only bark but also bite. Let us see after the elections whether this is mere posturing. So far there are only sound bytes from the Left leaders,'' he added.

Accusing the UPA Government of following a 'blatantly communal and divisive agenda with an eye on vote-bank politics', Mr Naidu alleged that the UPA was 'bent upon dividing the country'. ''I am sorry to say that today's Congress resembles yesterday's (pre-partition) Muslim League while today's BJP resembles yesterday's Congress, which had values and nationalism,'' he added.

It was to arouse people's consciousness against the ''divisive politics of the UPA'' that BJP leaders L K Advani and Rajnath Singh were going to take out the twin national integration 'yatras' next month, he said.

Wondering why the Congress and the Left parties were opposing the proposed 'yatras', the BJP Vice-President said they were a part of the Indian culture with several spiritual and cultural leaders including Adi Shankara, taking out 'yatras' to communicate with the people.

Expressing confidence about the BJP opening its account in the Kerala assembly in the coming elections, Mr Naidu said that the party would contest on its own and offer an alternative agenda to the people of the state, who have been ruled alternatively by the UDF and LDF Governments for the past 40 years.

The party's state election committee will recommend the candidates' names by March 23 and these would be finalised by the central election committee by March 27, he said.

"Asked about the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran), Mr Naidu said it was for Mr Karunakaran to decide which side he wanted to be on. The BJP was willing to ally with anyone opposing both the LDF and the UDF," he added.

UNI

Published On October 15, 2011
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