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Shekhar tells BJP's allies to wake up to RSS agenda

Former prime minister Chandra Shekhar today cautioned the allies of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the A B Vajpayee government to ''beware of the narrow nationalist agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh which would lead to the country's disintegration''.

Speaking at the one-day meeting of the national executive of his Samajwadi Janata Party in New Delhi, Shekhar said the allies were either ignorant of the seriousness of the situation or unable to formulate their strategy accordingly.

He accused the BJP of being prepared to go to any length and make any sort of compromise to keep itself in power.

Shekhar, who is president of the SJP, said the BJP allies believing in secularism should remember the statement of the prime minister that the present coalition was only a temporary phase. They should try to understand what their position would be once the BJP manages to get a majority on its own in Parliament.

It was time for all parties including the Congress to come together with the objective of facing the challenges before the country, he added.

In a political resolution, the SJP's national executive favoured the idea of forming a third front with all secular parties. It is the SJP's belief that the BJP government may not last long, mainly because of the contradictions among its allies. Hence the proposed front was expected to play a more important role in national politics.

The parties that could become partners in the proposed front should start formulating a common action programme, Shekhar said.

UNI

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