BJP to focus on Modi centric campaign in Gujarat

New Delhi, Nov 14 (UNI) Stepping into election campaign mode, the BJP has decided to make leadership, ideology and performance its campaign issue in its attempt to capture Gujarat for the third successive term in office while it seeks to wrest Himachal on the anti-incumbency wave.

'Jeetega Gujarat' is the party's poll slogan, making the campaign around the leadership, ideology and performance of the Narendra Modi government in the last five years. ''We set the agenda and proceed without responding to the taunts,'' BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitley told newspersons.

He said the BJP wanted to identify itself with these three issues and face the opposition's onslaught. ''We do not mind taking on the opposition on these buzz matters,'' he said.

Gujarat Chief Minister's bondage with these issues was well-established, be it in the past or for the future.

The party has prepared around 18 campaign slots and even obtained clearances for 11 of these CD's from the Central Election Commission to be used as and when required.

When brought to his notice that the Congress too had made its campaign Gujarat centric with its 'Chuck de Gujarat', he said the party had always been deriding and running down the state on these parameters and it would not gel well for them to make a turn-around and change their image of the state positioned for years.

While the leadership is a settled matter in the BJP camp, raising issues like Ram Sethu, terrorism, water and Narmada and girl child would help to capture the mind of the voters.

Slogans like 'Na khata hoon na khane doonga' symbolised the party's fight against corruption.

On the poll campaign in Himachal Pradesh, where the BJP is in the opposition, the party is seeking to project the Virbhadra Singh government as a non-performing, vindictive administration.

Many of the government's corrupt decisions were caught on Compact Discs and there were several court orders quashing and reversing the governmental decisions on issues like appointments, admissions and land acquisitions.

Anti-incumbency wave is very perceptible in the minds of the people while 'collusive inquiries' were doling out exoneration certificates to the corrupt ministers and their relatives.

If the Himachal Pradesh scenario was sought to be summed up in one sentence, ''Ghamandi raja, bhrast rani, rangeela mantri yehi kahani' (haughty king, corrupt queen, playboy ministers and this is the tale of Himachal Pradesh), he said.

The spiraling price rise will be held against the inefficiency of the Central and State Governments where people were made to suffer at the hands of incompetent and inefficient administrations.

UNI