Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

Ideological battle: Ganesan

By Our Special Correspondent

VIRUDHUNAGAR JAN. 4. The ongoing war of words between the BJP and the DMK is a "healthy evolution in Tamil Nadu politics", according to the BJP secretary, L. Ganesan. While conceding that "it's a real war" out there, Mr. Ganesan argued that it was aimed not at a personality or party but an ideology.

Talking to newsmen here today, the BJP leader, however, said it was not healthy for the NDA partners to air their criticism in public and it should come to an end. At the same time, "both of us know that we have a right to differ". The DMK and other NDA partners in Tamil Nadu, he said, had no compulsion to leave the alliance, as they were clear in their support for the Prime Minister and the national agenda for governance.

The State unit of the BJP was also not thinking in terms of a realignment as there were no elections. However, only the DMK could provide an answer for its severing ties with the State BJP, he added.

Mr. Ganesan revealed that the cadres were keen to contest the Sattankulam Assembly by-election and the State executive also endorsed the demand. A three-member committee comprising Pon. Radhakrishnan, K. N. Lakshmanan and H. Raja, had been formed to study the constituency and come out with a recommendation. "Indications are that the BJP may contest the by-election, subject to approval of the party's national leadership," he said.

The State politics, which remained confused at the moment, would attain clarity if the BJP contested the Sattankulam bypoll.

The BJP leader wondered how the VHP could criticise the Prime Minister and the Home Minister for their utterances on `Hindutva' as Mr. Vajpayee had only attempted to counter the negative projection of the ideology by the Congress, Left parties and the media. "The VHP would have misunderstood the Prime Minister's explanation," he said. In Tamil Nadu, the Congress and the DMK were looking at `Hindutva' as a synonym for "religious fanaticism". But even the Dravidian philosophy was part of `Hindutva', he said.

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