Polls: BJP will have Sangh Parivar in mind

The Bharatiya Janata Party will keep all the issues of concern to the Sangh Parivar, including Ram Temple, Uniform Civil Code, abrogation of Article 370 and ban on cow slaughter in mind during the forthcoming elections, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh said on Friday.

Speaking after a high-level meeting of top RSS-BJP leaders lasting over 90 minutes, Madan Das Devi, who coordinates between the two organisations, said the BJP has agreed to include these issues in its 'Vision Document' being prepared by Law Minister Arun Jaitley.

"We have met Jaitley and conveyed our views to him and we would be having another round of talks on the matter," the RSS leader told reporters in Delhi. "Our cadres would campaign in their individual capacity and work in close coordination with the BJP," he added.

BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu, however, clarified that these issues would not be on the National Democratic Alliance's agenda. "All Swayamsevaks have supported nationalist forces in past elections and they would do the same in the coming elections and help the BJP," he said.

On conflicting signals from various Sangh Parivar outfits, he said they were all different organisations with different views but would by and large support the BJP during the polls.

Devi and Naidu hoped the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which has been critical of the BJP-led NDA government on the Ram Temple issue, would also support the party in the coming elections.

"The construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya is also on the BJP's agenda but it is difficult to do so as it is not on the NDA's agenda," Naidu said.

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Devi said there was an atmosphere of harmony in the country as reflected in the appeal by Muslim leaders not to slaughter cows on the occasion of Id. There is 'no anti-incumbency factor' in the country and RSS cadres would not face problems convincing voters about the achievements of the Vajpayee government.

He welcomed the government's efforts to improve Indo-Pak relations through talks.

He said BJP would also include in the Vision Document, the Sangh's views on Swadeshi, labour, social and economic issues.

The RSS-BJP meeting comes ahead of the RSS Pratinidhi Sabha slated to be held in Jaipur on March 13-14. It was held at Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's residence and attended by Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, Naidu and BJP general secretary Sanjay Joshi while the RSS was represented by Devi, Mohan Bhagwat, H Y Seshadri and Bhaiji Joshi.