BJP denies it is cosying up to Left

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday sought to dismiss suggestions that it was cosying up to the Left by opposing the UPA government but emphasised that it did not mind working with them in tandem for 'wider national interest'.

"We have serious ideological differences with the Left," BJP national spokesperson Tarun Vijay said, but made it a point that "if a question of wider national interest is involved, we do not get into pettiness".

Claiming that BJP has never believed in politics of apartheid, Vijay told reporters, "It has been practised by other parties."

He was reacting to reports that referred to L K Advani's disclosure in his blog that CPI-M leader Basudeb Acharya and CPI's Gurudas Dasgupta had met BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj in her office in Parliament during the last Budget session.

He alleged that wrong policies of the Congress-led UPA government have led to the double-digit inflation and lambasted it for the recent fuel price hike.

"For the good of the country, there should not be any ideological or political barrier." He said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and BJP president Nitin Gadkari would 'for the first time' join together in Kolkata to pay tribute to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee on July 11.

Vijay said Gadkari would address a meeting in Kolkata to rejuvenate and strengthen nationalism among the youth.