National

`No change in BJP stand on U.P.'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL 1. There is no move by the Bharatiya Janata Party to support a Bahujan Samaj Party-led Government in Uttar Pradesh from outside or become a part of it, the BJP in-charge of the State, Kushabhau Thakre, has asserted. The decision of the BJP parliamentary board that the party must sit in the Opposition and take no initiative towards government formation was binding, he pointed out.

Discounting some reports that the BJP's support to a government headed by Ms. Mayawati in U.P. was imminent, Mr. Thakre said no leader at the State level was empowered to even start discussions on the issue on which the parliamentary board had already taken an unambiguous stand. Only the parliamentary board was empowered to revise its decision and so far no meeting of the board had been scheduled, he said.The BJP State executive is scheduled to meet around April 21 near Bareilly and after that, Mr. Thakre plans to tour the State extensively to study the reasons for the party's dismal performance in the Assembly polls. Speaking informally to reporters, he said the BJP's position in U.P., in terms of seats won in the recent elections, was third, after the Samajwadi Party and the BSP, and it was now for the two parties to make efforts for government formation.

He said there were several reasons for the party's poor showing. While the Centre's decisions could have had an impact — the Prime Minister had himself acknowledged this, he noted — the main reason was "extreme casteism.'' The party would have to find a way out of this, and he was glad that the Constitution Review Commission had made some suggestions to counter the adverse fallout of an increasing tendency towards a fractured mandate.

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