BJP to launch assembly poll campaign from Ayodhya

Lucknow, July 20: Asserting that Bharatiya Janata Party has not given up the 'Hindutva' issue, senior party leader Kalyan Singh today said the party would launch its Uttar Pradesh assembly election campaign from Ayodhya.

''We would have darshan of Ram Lalla before launching the campaign, date of which would be announced later,'' he told reporters here at a press conference.

''It is absolutely wrong to say that BJP has lost its mass base just because it has diverted from the basic issues of Hindutva,'' Mr Singh, who is back in the state politics after a break following a heart surgery.

He said the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya, Common Civil Code and abrogation of Article 370 were the issues only BJP could be related to. ''No other party has ever raised these issues and the BJP would always stick to the issues,'' he declared.

Mr Kalyan Singh, who has already been projected as the Chief Minister candidate by the party for the coming assembly polls, said that a corruption-free and accountable government would be the main planks of the party in the next elections.

Predicting the fall of Maulayam Singh Yadav-led government in the next assembly election, he said the BJP strongly demanded the poll under President's rule in the state. ''We have no faith in the present ruling dispensation about the conduct of fair and free poll in the state,'' he pointed out.

The present UP government should be dismissed immediately to pave way for installation of Centre's rule in UP, he said.

Mr Kalyan Singh, who had to resign as the UP chief cinister in the wake of Babri Mosque demolition on December 6, 1992, however, made it clear that the party never thought the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya as the political issue. ''It would always remain as the issue of national identity and nationality,'' he said. Declaring the party was in the election mode in UP, he said the exercise of the selection of suitable candidates for the assembly polls had begun.''Winnability is the prime criterion for candidate selection... views of local leaders would be taken into account before deciding on the candidates,'' the former UP CM said.

Mr Singh said the BJP had completed initial candidate selection process in 200-225 out of 403 assembly constituencies and the names of the candidates would soon be finalised.

The people of Uttar Pradesh were fed up of the caste politics, lack of development and poor law and order and were definitely looking up to BJP as a viable alternative, he said, adding ''BJP would strive hard to fulfill their aspirations.'' Refusing to admit that the party workers were a demoralised lot in UP, Mr Singh said, in fact, there was a sense of rejuvenation among the party cadres and they were more than willing to take up the challenge for the future.

Predicting that the days of UPA government at the Centre were numbered, the senior BJP leader said there were strong possibilties of mid-term poll. ''Manmohan Singh-led government at the Centre will fall soon under the pressure of DMK and the Left parties,''he said.

Coming down heavily on the policies of the UPA government, he alleged that the wheat recently imported by it had large amount of pesticides. ''The whole process was a cheating on the people of the country and required thorough probe.''

UNI