LJP says 'National Alternative' not viable, BJP dividing country

New Delhi, Apr 7 (UNI) Lok Janshakti Party President Ram Vilas Paswan today criticised the BJP for holding 'Rashtra Suraksha Yatras' and said that it was actually ''Rashtra Khandit Yatra' meant to divide the country as was evident from the riots in Aligarh.

Mr Paswan told reporters here that the BJP was trying to divide the people in the name of Lord Rama. It was now trying to do ''Ayodhya Dahan'' instead of Lanka Dahan of Ramayana through these Yatras. The riots in Aligarh on the first day of these yatras are an example of this, he said.

About the non-BJP non Congress 'National Alternative' of five regional parties floated yesterday, Mr Paswan said that it was not viable as any third front without the Congress or the BJP will never be able to form a government at the centre.

Moreover, parties like Telugu Desam, National Conference and AIADMK, earlier part of the BJP led NDA are now part of this National Alternative which also comprises of the Samajwadi Party and Asom Gana Parishad.

Asked whether Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh had contacted him to become part of the national alternative, Mr Paswan said that since he believed that this third front was not viable he would not go with it and that is why it seems Mr Yadav has not contacted him.

Mr Paswan, who is holding about ten rallies in the Western Uttar Pradesh during the next two months, said that his party was getting massive support in Uttar Pradesh and would contest about 400 seats in the next year's assembly polls in the state.

He said that he was holding a Dalit-Mulsim Ekta rallies to create awareness among Dalits and Muslims so that they could join hands and dislodge the present government. The LJP leader said that he would hold a rally on April 14 at Mau, the birthplace of Baba Saheb Ambedkar and before that a rally would be held on April 9 at Buddha Jayanti Park in Delhi.

Welcoming the recent government decision to introduce reservation in educational institutions like IITs, IIMs and central universities for OBCs, Mr Paswan said that the Supreme Court has already given the stamp of approval to the Mandal Commission recommendations. However, he added that in reserved seats the preference should be given to poor people of these castes and then the creamy layers should be considered. He also said that reservations for SC/ST and OBCs should not be merged.

On this occasion, Mr Paswan presented Rs 2 lakh grant for the construction of Baba Ravi Das Memorial at Sukartal in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. He said that he has also written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to bring Sukartal into the National Tourism Programme.

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