BJP for Prez Kalam's second innings

Varanasi, Nov 30 (UNI) The BJP today announced that it will back President A P J Abdul Kalam for a second successive term.

''President Kalam is a visionary par excellence, who during his presidential tenure has raised the dignity of the nation and hence the BJP is all for the great scientist in a second term as president of the country,'' party president Rajnath Singh said in an informal chat with newspersons here this morning.

Mr Singh reiterated the BJP was not ''anti-Muslim,'' but was concerned about the welfare of the entire nation, irrespective of cast, creed and religion.

The presidential election is slated for July 2007.

Hitting out at the UPA government for misleading the nation by slashing down prices of petro products, Mr Singh questioned what the Manmohan Singh-led government was doing to reduce to the prices of essential commodities.

Alleging the UPA government has repeatedly failed on the national security front, Mr Singh said instead of summoning Pakistan High Commissioner to New Delhi over the involvement of Pakistan in the Mumbai serial blast, the government is indulging in meaningless dialogue with Islamabad.

Admitting to his inclination towards the Sangh ideology, Mr Singh said the path being followed by the BJP is in consonance with RSS principles.

He also termed former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani as father figure to him, who guide him and the party whenever the need arose.

The former union minister also claimed the NDA will soon be joined by more like minded parties, but refused to spell out their names.

Mr Singh was scheduled to leave for New Delhi last evening after taking part in a public meeting to observe the first anniversary killing of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai in Gondaur (Ghazipur).

But a techical snag in the plane by which Mr singh was slated to leave compelled him for a night halt in Varanasi along with former HRD minister Murli Manohar Joshi.

UNI ARS VS YA RN1815