New Delhi, December 23
Emboldened by its victory in the Gujarat Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party today declared that it would contest the coming Assembly elections in other states on the Hindutva plank.
Newly elected
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi with Deputy
Prime Minister L. K. Advani, BJP President Venkaiah Naidu and Delhi BJP
chief Madan Lal Khurana
during the BJP National Executive meeting in New Delhi on
Monday. — PTI photo
|
Talking to newspersons after the pre-lunch session of the first day of the two-day National Executive, BJP General Secretary and spokesman Arun Jaitley said Gujarat’s results were an ideological victory of the party.
Aggressive campaigning, along with the party’s ideology, besides focus on local issues, was going to be the constant factor in the party’s strategy in the coming Assembly elections, he said.
Making it clear that Hindutva was a way of life, he said the party was of the view that any statement which smacked of intolerance was not in consonance with Hindutva.
Earlier, party President M. Venkaish Naidu promised to ‘replicate’ Gujarat experience everywhere” as the outcome had “demolished the myth” of Congress revival under Sonia Gandhi.
In his inaugural address at the
two-day National Executive here, Mr Naidu asked Sangh Parivar outfits to tone down their comments when they spoke in the name of
Hindutva.Mr Naidu told the meeting, attended among others by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and Union ministers and office-bearers, that “for us development is the mantra and hence, we believe in ushering in prosperity in an atmosphere of peace.”
Warning dissidents in the party, Mr Naidu said the party would come down heavily on them if they crossed the “Lakshman Rekha”, referring to the dissidence in the legislature party in Uttar Pradesh.
