Advani Bihar campaign on: BJP
The BJP on Saturday claimed senior leader L.K. Advani will campaign in Muslim-dominated areas of poll-bound Bihar, including those constituencies where polling is scheduled in the first phase of elections. The party said reports suggesting Mr Advani not to campaign were “totally misleading and false”.
However, the BJP is yet to announce Mr Advani’s campaign schedule. The party also denied that Bihar chief minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar is unwilling to campaign with senior BJP leaders, including Mr Advani, post the Ayodhya title suit verdict.
Mr Advani, it was learnt, will not be campaigning in Muslim-dominated areas where elections are scheduled on October 21, when the first phase of the six-phased Bihar Assembly polls begins. The party, sources disclosed, is apprehensive that Mr Advani’s campaigning in these constituencies might lead to polarisation of votes, specially in the wake of the Ayodhya verdict. Wary of the Ayodhya issue harming its electoral prospects, the BJP’s alliance partner JD(U) had asked the former not to highlight the issue in the poll-bound state.
BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said: “I spoke to Nitishji this morning after the media carried these reports about Advaniji. Nitishji told me to tell the national media that he will welcome Advaniji whenever he comes there (Bihar) for campaigning.”
However, Mr Prasad could not specify the dates or constituencies where Mr Advani would address public rallies. On the issue of joint campaigning by the two NDA partners, Mr Prasad said Nitish Kumar had so far campaigned in 15 constituencies where the BJP has fielded its candidates, whereas BJP leaders, including deputy chief minister Sushil Modi and he himself, have also been campaigning for JD(U) candidates. He claimed even during the earlier Assembly polls the two alliance partners never campaigned together and the practice of BJP leaders campaigning for JD(U) candidates and vice-versa was done.
The BJP meanwhile, attacked Congress for defaming Nitish Kumar government. The party said Congress is talking about good governance when it had supported the “misrule” of RJD government for 15 years.
“The Congress is guilty of not only conspiracy of silence but willing assistance (to the RJD government). Why is then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi (AICC general secretary) taking about good governance,” said the senior BJP leader. Mr Prasad further said that even the Planning Commission, headed by the Prime Minister, has declared Nitish Kumar as one of the best chief ministers on parameters of development.
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