Uma prefers coalition govt for Punjab

Ludhiana, Jan 21 (UNI) Ruling out the possibility of rejoining the BJP, the Bharatiya Janshakti Party, chief Uma Bharti today claimed that ''the influx was from the BJP to her party'' and in the same breath, added a word of caution to the Punjab voters not to give a majority to any single party or alliance in the assembly polls.

''A large number of BJP leaders and activists who are disgruntled with the BJP leadership and its policies were waiting in the wings to join my party,'' she said while talking to mediapersons after addressing an election rally here.

''None of our party leaders or workers want to join the BJP,'' she said while releasing a list of 14 candidates of her party for the Punjab assembly elections to be held on February 13.

Claiming that the BJP had deviated from its Hindutva ideology, Ms Bharti said, ''The BJP first took the support of Lord Rama and when it began to grow in strength, it discared Rama''. Deviation from the Hindutva idelolgy brought about the fall of the BJP, she added.

Turning to the Bharatiya Janshakti Party, she said her party had adopted the ideology of ''Ram and Roti'' and would stand by it.

Referring to the Punjab polls, she said both the Congress and the BJP were only playing vote bank politics and were not sincere towards the problems of the common man. Interestingly, she did not utter a word against the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), an electoral ally of the BJP.

While complimenting the Punjabis for having crushed terrorism, Ms Bharti said the greatest threat to Punjab now was from ''terrorism of corruption''. The politics of vendetta being followed by certain political parties in Punjab was dangerous and could once again bring back the dark days of terrorism to the border state, she added.

Appealing to the voters not to give an outright mandate to either the Congress or the SAD-BJP combine, she said a government dependent on support of a third party or parties would be ideal for the border state. The politics of pressure could force a government to work for the welfare of the people, she added.

UNI