COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

BJP allies will work on common manifesto, says Hegde

Union Commerce Minister and Lok Shakti president Ramakrishna Hegde today said the partners in the BJP-led coalition would work towards projecting a common manifesto and launching a joint electioneering for the coming elections to the Lok Sabha.

Talking to newsmen, Hegde said he and Defence Minister and Samata Party leader George Fernandes had mooted the idea. The present national agenda of the alliance itself could be converted into a common manifesto with some minor modifications, he added.

Hegde also hinted at the possibility of the alliance partners sharing a common platform during the election campaign to tell the people that they were adhering to the national agenda.

Now that certain "cantankerous elements" had been weeded out, the BJP-led alliance would confront its common enemies who, by toppling the Vajpayee government, had proved that they were the "enemies of healthy democratic functioning", he said.

Hegde replied in the affirmative when asked whether the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu, which had extended support to the Vajpayee government during the confidence vote in the Lok Sabha would be part of the alliance.

The common manifesto was still being discussed, he said, and added that the alliance parties, however, would maintain their separate identities.

Hegde said his party would like the Election Commission to hold the Lok Sabha elections as early as possible as the present atmosphere of uncertainty should not be allowed to continue for long. Several factors need to be considered, especially in view of the onset of the monsoon in late June and floods occurring in September and October in the north.

On holding simultaneous elections to the state assembly and the Lok Sabha in Karnataka, he said it was up to the Janata Dal government to recommend in this regard.

Replying to another question, Hegde said the present alliance with the BJP in the state, would continue for the assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Hegde said people should realise that "it is not a child's play to pull down governments". The country had seen four prime ministers in the last three years. Such a thing would not happen even in a municipality.

He said there was no reason whatsoever for pulling down the government which had, only a couple of weeks ago, tested its strength on the floor of the Lok Sabha on the Bihar issue when the motion for ratification of the presidential proclamation was carried by a margin of 29 votes.

He termed as "very exceptional" president K R Narayanan's directive to the prime minister to seek a vote of confidence after AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha met him and announced her party's withdrawal of support to the government. "The President could have told her that the Budget session was on and the AIADMK had an opportunity every day to test the majority of the government."

That the opposition was not able to form an alternative government was a proof for mockery of parliamentary procedure. He said had the BJP-led government been allowed to complete its five-year term, the country would have opened a new chapter and shown the world that it was mature enough to have a successful coalition government.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report