TMC opportunistic, says BJP

By Our Special Correspondent

POLLACHI, OCT. 4. The State unit of the BJP has launched a frontal attack on the TMC, terming it opportunistic. This was one of the resolutions passed at the party's general council meeting, presided by the State president, Mr. S.P. Kirubanidhi, at Pollachi today.

In a veiled reference to the TMC, it said the electorate wanted a rule in Tamil Nadu after the elections in 2001 which would support continuation of the present Central Government. However, ``ideologically different'' parties had joined hands to fight the NDA. Those claimed that their party was born to fight corruption were now extending a friendly hand to those who faced corruption cases. ``In order to hide this opportunism, they use the shroud of secularism.''

``Their bogus secularism'' would not hold water, the resolution proclaimed and appealed to the people of Tamil Nadu to extend support to the BJP.

Another resolution urged the Opposition not to politicise the oil price hike. The country had to import 70 per cent of its petroproducts requirement. Hence the import expenditure of the country, which was Rs. 53,000 crores during the last financial year, would touch Rs. 80,000 crores this fiscal. Thus there would be a deficit of Rs. 23,600 crores in the oil pool account. This would lead to oil companies stopping imports and also refining.

Though the NDA Government was trying to implement only the recommendation of the technical committee constituted by the Congress Government and accepted by the UF Government, the Opposition was behaving as if they had nothing to do with the current decision.

The party pleaded for entrusting temple management to a committee of Hindu religious leaders as in the case of Christian and Muslim places of worship. It expressed opposition to cow slaughter and demanded Rs. 15 a litre for cow's milk. It also pleaded for free food grain movement in the country.

The meeting was held under a heavy security cover of about 2,000 police personnel. The BJP national president, Mr. Bangaru Laxman, who was scheduled to participate in the meeting, arrived in Coimbatore only around 1.45 p.m. and left for Pollachi in the evening to attend a rally and address a public meeting.

Appeal to PMK

Talking to reporters, the BJP's national vice-president, Mr. Jana Krishnamurthy, appealed to the PMK to take up the issue of its differences with the DMK at the NDA meeting, instead of going to the press.

There was a ``coalition dharma,'' a sort of code of conduct among allies, that called for thrashing out differences at the NDA meeting in the presence of both the DMK and PMK representatives.

To a question Mr. Krishnamurthy said the TRC continued to be part of the NDA. However, he refused to comment on the allegations of the PMK founder, Dr. S. Ramadoss, against the DMK and TRC.

Asked about the Railway Minister and Trinamool leader, Ms. Mamata Banerjee's resignation from the Union Cabinet over the oil price hike, Mr. Krishnamurthy expressed the hope that ``nothing will happen to upset us on the Bengal front.'' He said there could be a Cabinet meeting soon to ``refix'' the oil prices. At the same time, Mr. Krishnamurthy said, Ms. Banerjee's announcement should not be compared with the AIADMK quitting the BJP Government. ``While Ms. Mamata Banerjee wants something for the people, the AIADMK leader, Ms. Jayalalitha, wanted the Central Government to do what she wanted.''

Newsmen roughed up

A section of the BJP cadre, assembled at Pollachi for the party State unit's general council meeting, turned violent, roughing up mediapersons and preventing them from speaking to the party's National President, Mr. Bangaru Laxman, on Wednesday.

When Mr. Laxman arrived here in the evening, skipping the general council meeting held earlier today, the waiting presspersons sought to question him. However, a section of the cadre refused to give way and turned violent, pushing down a couple of presspersons. Some senior BJP leaders intervened and appeased the protesting presspersons.

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Section  : Southern States
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