Former UP chief minister Kalyan Singh has convened a meeting of his Jan Kranti Party in Lucknow on October 5, ostensibly to discuss the issue of his return to the BJP.
Though Mr Singh insists that the October 5 meeting has nothing to do with his return to the BJP and will focus on strengthening the party, sources close to the former chief minister admitted that October 5 meeting is aimed at consulting his supporters and discussing the pros and cons of returning to the BJP.
“We will discuss our future political strategy and focus on the prevailing political situation ion the country. The issue of returning to BJP does not arise because no one has approached me yet,” he said on telephone.
The dismal performance of the Jan Kranti Party in the recent Assembly elections has dampened the mood of the party cadres who see no future for themselves in the party.
“When our president Rajvir Singh and his wife Premlata could not win the Dibai and Atrauli seats respectively which are considered to be Kalyan Singh’s strongholds, there is no future for the party in the rest of the state unless we enter into an alliance with some other party or merge into another party and the BJP is the only option,” said Ravi Varma, a party worker from Bulandshahr.
Interestingly, Mr Kalyan Singh, in recent months, has not uttered a word against the BJP and has maintained a studied silence on the political scenario.
The BJP, on the other hand, is keen to bring back the veteran leader so that it can entrust the responsibility of Uttar Pradesh to him and use his experience to revive the party.
It is believed that once Mr Kalyan Singh assesses the mood of his supporters on October 5, the process of his return to the BJP will be initiated in the true sense of the term.
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Advani: govt is on ventilator
Yojna Gusai
Surajkund (Haryana), Sept. 28
Targeting UPA-2, BJP leader L.K. Advani said on Friday, “This government is on a ventilator... there is a lot of anger (among people) against this government but they (people) should think of us (BJP) as a credible alternative.” He said it is “almost certain” that the government will not last its full term, till 2014, and that “people are keen” for change. Criticising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for being the “weakest PM ever”, he accused Dr Singh of “transferring his authority” to 10, Janpath.
Mr Advani blamed the PM and the Congress leadership for the various scams.
“People’s perception of a party is often much more important than the reality,” he said. He also administered a pledge to party workers committing them to strive to free the country from the Congress’ “corrupt and bad governance” and to launch a democratic struggle for “making the 21st century the century of India”.