BJP to launch agitation against Government

New Delhi, Feb 14 (PTI) BJP today said it is in theprocess of chalking out a strategy to launch an agitationacross the country on the lines of the pre-Emergency movementled by Jai Prakash Narain against government "apathy" towardscorruption, inflation and Indian black money abroad.

"The issues of corruption, rising inflation and Indianblack money abroad are dominant issues in Indian politicstoday. BJP senior leaders, office-bearers and chief ministerswill attend a meeting at Kolkata tomorrow to discuss thestrategy for taking these issues to the people," BJPspokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.

Asked if Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa- whois facing charges of favouring his sons in out-of-turn landallotments- will also attend the meeting tomorrow, Javadekarreplied in the affirmative.

Javadekar maintained that the principal oppositionplans to start an agitation against these three issues on thelines of the movements in 1974 (against the Indira Gandhiregime) and 1987 (against the Rajiv Gandhi government onBofors scam).

He said a programme committee to be headed by seniorparty leader and general secretary Ananth Kumar is also beingformed to oversee the agitation.

The office-bearers'' meeting will also discuss theprincipal opposition''s plans for the forthcoming budgetsession of Parliament that starts on February 21.

BJP had recently held NDA rallies in some major citiesagainst corruption in the UPA government but these arguablyhad a limited appeal. The party seems to have decided to go italone this time.

Javadekar appeared evasive on this issue, stating the"banner" under which the agitation is held is not important.

"There was tremendous unity among the oppositionparties in Parliament and outside on the streets on theseissues," he said.

The BJP asked the government why it had not arrestedHasan Ali, accused of tax evasion running into crores andstashing black money abroad, though the case against him ispending for the last three years.

The office-bearers'' meeting in Kolkata tomorrow willbe followed by a huge rally which will be addressed by the BJPtop brass including L K Advani, Nitin Gadkari, Arun Jaitleyand Sushma Swaraj, among others.

The rally is a culmination of the yatra taken out bythe West Bengal BJP unit from Cooch Behar against the CPI-Mgovernment.

BJP will launch its election campaign in the statewith this rally which will target both the CPI(M)-ledgovernment and the Congress-TMC alliance.