The Hindu : BJP to fight Assembly elections on local issues

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 30, 2002

National

National

BJP to fight Assembly elections on local issues

Chandigarh Dec. 29. The BJP will fight the coming Assembly elections on the ``local issues'' and performance of the State and the Central Government.

``We will fight the elections on local issues. The Government's performance and developmental programmes undertaken by it, both at the State and the Central level, will also be highlighted,'' party general secretary, Rajnath Singh, told reporters here today.

On the role of ``Hindutva'' in the party's victory in Gujarat, he said, ``we won the election on the basis of the Government's performance. We do not believe in appeasing any community''.

``If there are sections which like to call it Hindutva then we can't help it.''

Charging the Congress with whipping up minorities' passions, he said, ``the Congress has always tried to induce a sense of fear among minorities, while the BJP has always tried to induce a sense of confidence and pride in them''.

The BJP's `Vijay Yatra', which started with the party's performance in Goa and Gujarat, would continue with its victory in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and the next Lok Sabha elections.

The polls in Himachal Pradesh, scheduled to be held in February, would also be fought on local issues, he said, adding that the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, might campaign for the party in the State.

He said people's faith in party policies and programmes had increased, especially after the victory in Gujarat election and Rajasthan and Jharkhand by-election.

Mr. Singh said the party panel headed by him to review the Kelkar committee's recommendations would submit its report to the Union Finance Ministry by January 11.

Allaying apprehensions that the Centre was bound to accept all the recommendations of the committee, including imposing of income tax on agriculture, Mr. Singh told reporters here that the party was hopeful that Government would keep the interest of farmers and middle-income group in mind while implementing them.

``Kelkar task force has made only recommendations and the Government is not bound to accept all of these. I am not saying we will accept it or reject it in totality,'' he told reporters here.

However, he expressed satisfaction over the proposals to lower excise duties, reform in the tax administration and lessening of discretionary power of Income Tax officials, which would help minimise corruption.

PTI

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