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BJP not anti-minority, says Gadkari Chandigarh, March 5 “For the Lok Sabha elections, I have prepared a detailed policy-cum- vision document for the party. I will be submitting it to party president Rajnath Singh later this week,” former BJP president Nitin Gadkari told The Tribune. He said the BJP was against appeasement of minorities. “We are for equal rights and equal opportunities for all in the country,” he stated. Education and employment opportunities for members of minority communities would be the BJP’s top agenda, if it formed the next government at the Centre, he said. There would be special programmes for poverty alleviation among minorities. “People have been resorting to propaganda that the BJP is against minorities, especially Muslims. But the Narendra Modi government in Gujarat has not made any law that discriminates against minorities,” he added. The vision document would also elaborate on BJP policies on agriculture, education, health, infrastructure, industry, information technology, black money, inflation and corruption. “We are keen on reforming election and taxation systems and also want improvement in education, transportation and urbanisations etc,” he said. He denied he had entered into any deal with MNS chief Raj Thackeray. “I met him to request him that he should not put up his candidates in the Lok Sabha elections because in case he did so, it would lead to division in Opposition votes,” he said. “I am of the view that the BJP-Shiv Sena can sweep the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, if the division of votes can be avoided,” he said. He said the BJP did not believe in personality-based politics. “Ours is a democratic party. It is not like the Congress which is controlled only by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi,” he said. Asked about whisperings among the party ranks that Narendra Modi was being promoted as a cult figure, he said there was no truth in such reports.Answering a question about the RSS influence on the BJP, he said, “Of course, we discuss issues with the RSS as it is part of our life and also a motivator for us. However, it is wrong to say that the RSS has been guiding the BJP politics,” he said. He said a wrong perception had been created that the BJP wanted a Hindu India. “There is a sustained effort by certain forces to paint us as villain,” he said. On embracing politicians having tainted past, he said it had become a fashion to berate politicians. Arvind Kejriwal had been branding almost every politician as corrupt expect those belonging to his own party. The BJP accepted BS Yeddyurappa in its fold again as nothing was found against him following investigations, he said. “Though all sort of allegations were levelled against me, I have got no notice from any government agency,” he added. About Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, he said, “He (Rahul) has no understanding of India or its problems. He has no experience of governance either. Rahul’s only qualification is that he is the son of Sonia Gandhi.” Asked about the BJP poll strategy, he said, “We have proved that the BJP is capable of giving a good government to the country. The BJP-ruled states have done exceedingly well on social, economic and development fronts as compared to Congress-ruled states. We will try to drive home this point to the voters before the Lok Sabha elections.” Asked why the BJP was avoiding talking about Ram Temple, Uniform Civil Code, abolition of Article 370 in case of Jammu and Kashmir, he said for the BJP, Ram Temple was a spiritual issue and not a political one. On Rahul Gandhi
He (Rahul) has no understanding of India or its problems. He has no experience of governance either. Rahul’s only qualification is that he is the son of Sonia Gandhi.
On minorities
People have been resorting to propaganda that the BJP is against minorities, especially Muslims. But the Gujarat Government has not made any law that discriminates against minorities.
On RSS influence
Of course we discuss issues with the RSS as it is part of our life and also a motivator for us. However, it is wrong to say that the RSS has been guiding the BJP politics.
On Ram Temple
We are all for Ram Temple and the Uniform Civil Code, but these issues can be addressed only if the BJP gets a majority on its own in the Lok Sabha elections
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