Not Hindutva but crime to be BJP’s poll agenda in UP

[1]

BJP leader Uma Bharti on Wednesday said though the party has faith in Hindutva and the Ram temple issue, they would not be its political agenda for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled for early in 2012.

“I have faith in Hindutva and Ram. We want Ram rajya here. The issue of Ram temple is of faith but it’s not the party’s political agenda for the state. We will focus on crime and corruption, which would be our agenda for the 2012 polls,” Bharti, who is BJP incharge of Uttar Pradesh, told reporters here.

“I have never compromised with Hindutva and the Ram temple issue. Had I done so when I was not in BJP for about five and a half years, my condition would have been better,” she said, adding, “The discrepancies and corruption in development (in UP) will be exposed by the party.”

When asked about Congress also raking up the issues of corruption and crime, she said that party itself had to give answers on issues of corruption and rising inflation in the UPA regime at the Centre.

“Chor ki taraf chor ungli nahi utha sakta. Ye kaam sipahi ka hai (A thief cannot point a finger at another thief. It can be done by a policeman),” she said.

Terming AICC general secretary and UP incharge Digvijay Singh as a “Stepney” of Rahul Gandhi, Bharti claimed that Singh does not have any value in the state.

“He is stepney of Rahul Gandhi. He does not have any value here (in Uttar Pradesh). It’s a coincidence that I defeat him wherever he goes. I defeated him in MP and then in Bihar, where he was incharge and now its the turn of UP,” she said.

On a question about Digvijay’s controversial statements, Bharti said his own party disowns them.

“Whenever he makes any statement, a party spokesman disowns it. I think the party has left him on his own. It seems his tongue is not in Congress’ control,” she said.

About Congress’ stand on Ramdev’s agitation against corruption, Bharti said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statements supporting the mid-night action in Ramlila ground was undemocratic.

“I was not expecting such an statement from the Prime Minister. It was an undemocratic remark.”

Asked about her party Janshakti’s merger with BJP, she said, “The date of merger has been finalised as June 29. It will be done in presence of party president Nitin Gadkari”, she said.

Rubbishing reports of differences within BJP, Bharti said such news was spread deliberately.