Arun Jaitley questions Lalu's 'Purvanchal' credentials

Varanasi, Aug 25 (UNI) BJP general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh Arun Jaitley today questioned Railway Minister Lalu Prasad's new found love for East UP saying '' RJD, which has no base in the state has no right to talk about a separate Purvanchal.'' ''The RJD has no support in UP and has been routed by the JD(U)-BJP combine from Bihar also. In this backdrop, the RJD chief's call for creating Purvanchal out of Bhojpuri speaking UP and Bihar seems foolish,'' Mr Jaitley told newspersons here.

Earlier addressing the party workers from 13 districts of BJP 'Kashi Prant,' Mr Jaitley said ''leaving behind the dejection of pathetic performance in UP assembly election, the party rank and file should gear up to perform magically in the next Lok Sabha polls which may be held before 2009, owing to sharp differences within the ruling UPA coalition.'' ''Time has come to renergise the party in UP forgetting the debacle of assembly polls. My first priority is to streamline BJP organisation in the state and also to win back the traditional voters to the party fold,'' he maintained.

On the Indo-US nuke deal, Mr Jaitley said ''the deal will definitely undermine the nuclear weapon capability of the country.

BJP always viewed the nuclear programme with a nationalist vision, which is why we are against the 123 deal.'' Later, the former union minister who is also a seasoned Supreme Court lawyer went to the collectorate premises here to show support to the lawyers agitating against district administration.

''Besides being a politician, I am also a lawyer and hence can understand the pangs of my fraternity,'' said Mr Jaitley assuring full-fledged party support to the lawyers cause.

UNI