BJP top brass focusses on nat'l issues at Bhopal 'Mahakumbh'

Bhopal, Sep 25 (UNI) Even as Madhya Pradesh races towards year-end assembly hustings, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 'Karyakarta Mahakumbh' here today however witnessed the saffron party's bigwigs focussing on national issues such as the Ram temple and execution of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru obviously with an eye on the 2009 general elections as well.

Former Union Human Resource Development minister Murli Manohar Joshi resurrected the temple issue by saying, ''the issue relates directly to the country's pride and there should be a temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram in Ayodhya.'' Alleging that the UPA government was attempting to destroy Indian culture and unity, Dr Joshi criticised the Centre's move to demolish the Ram Sethu and ''mishandling'' of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board land allotment issue.

BJP President Rajnath Singh said that, after coming to power at the Centre, the BJP would ensure immediate execution of Afzal. Mr Singh was also critical of 123 Indo-US Nuclear Agreement and said that the UPA regime was trying to fool the people by inking the deal.

Addressing the 'Karyakarta Mahakumbh' at the Jamboori Maidan, Mr Singh reiterated his demand to hang Afzal and in the same breath slammed the Centre's UPA government for its appeasement policy and dragging its feet over taking a decision to execute Afzal.

Terming the UPA regime as the ''weakest and most inefficient,'' the BJP's prime ministerial nominee L K Advani gave a clarion call to BJP workers to spare no effort to win elections.

Talking about rampant corruption in the rank and file of the UPA government, Mr Advani said that the recent bribery expose during the confidence vote in the Lok Sabha had crossed every limit and the incident was a blot on Indian parliamentary democracy. It also lowered ''our prestige internationally as ours was considered one of the world's best democracies.'' Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed confidence about retaining power after the polls and spelt out seven items of an agenda comprising investment, infrastructural facilities -- roads, power and water -- health, education, improving the law and order situation and stringent legislation against terrorism.

Sitting Congress MP from Madhya Pradesh Manik Singh joined the BJP on the occasion.

UNI Team-AC 2123