M A I N   N E W S

BJP tough on NDA deserters
‘Re-entry no ticket to Cabinet’
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 29
BJP President K. Jana Krishnamurthi today asserted that entry into the NDA should not mean immediate berth in the Union Cabinet and suggested “a waiting period” for all those wanting to join the ruling alliance.

Talking to mediapersons at the conclusion of the three-day meeting of the party National Executive, the BJP President said “there should be certain norms for any party to enter and re-enter into the alliance because in the absence of these the credibility of the NDA is affected”.

Asked how long the waiting period should be, Mr Krishnamurthi said it was for the NDA as a whole to decide.

This would be a key issue before the NDA which would be taken up during its next meeting, he said.

The BJP President in his inaugural address on Friday had suggested a need for formulation of certain norms for entry and re-entry of constituents into the ruling alliance.

With parties like the Trinamool Congress wanting to return to the NDA which they left before the recent Assembly elections, Mr Krishnamurthi had said, “None of the parties in the NDA can enjoy a right to hurt the NDA and then ask for benefits”.

Asked about Mr Ajit Singh’s entry into the Cabinet, the President said the issue was discussed in the NDA before he was formally admitted in the alliance.

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had yesterday endorsed Mr Krishnamurthi’s suggestions saying, “I welcome the suggestion that everybody’s views should be taken into consideration”.

The next meeting of the National Executive is going to be held in Punjab, Mr Krishnamurthi said, adding that date and venue would be finalised after consultations.

The party has also decided to commemorate the golden jubilee of the founding of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and a committee for chalking out the programme for the celebrations would be set up soon, Mr Krishnamurthi said.

In his valedictory address, Union Home Minister Lal Krishan Advani said the party should try to equip itself for being a party of the 21st century by stressing on intellectualising the worker, modernising the party and developing a scientific working style.

Mr Advani said workers must be made aware of the latest developments on all fronts ranging from political to economic and they should come out of the mindset of belonging to Opposition.

Referring to the criticism at the meeting on issues like the UTI scam and the Agra summit, Mr Advani said “we have to work towards changing our mindset from that of the Opposition to that of the ruling party. We have to pay more attention to this”.

Asked to elaborate Mr Advani’s suggestions, Mr Krishnamurthi said what the Home Minister meant was to adopt the technological aspects in the party.

Earlier, making a conscious effort to downplay the criticism of the Vajpayee government during the past two days, the BJP President said “we are not only a ruling party but also a democratic party”.

Taking his argument further, Mr Krishnamurthi said “there is a difference between the criticism of the Opposition and of the own party”.

Whatever feedback the National Executive Committee members had from the party cadres and the people, they placed before Prime Minister Vajpayee and other ministers, the BJP President said.

The Prime Minister and other ministers appreciated the views of the members and suggestions made at the meeting would be considered by the government, he said.

Giving examples of the functioning democracy in the party, the BJP President said 27 speakers spoke on the economic resolution and 28 on the Agra summit. It only shows that we are a democratic party, he pointed out adding that “I was not worried about the writings in the media that the government was being criticised at the meeting”.

The slowdown in the economy was only temporary, he pointed out and added that the main problem area was agriculture where in the rural countryside farmers did not know what to do with their produce.

“I have suggested that farmers should be guided to move from hitherto followed quantitative production to qualitative production which would help in establishing Indian brands in the export market”, he said.