The Hindu : BJP keen on ending truckers' stir

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 22, 2003

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BJP keen on ending truckers' stir

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL 21. Although the deadlock persisted as the truckers' strike entered the eighth day, there were perceptible signs of anxiety both on the part of the Centre and the BJP to prevent the stir from getting prolonged.

The fear of a political fallout on account of the prolonged strike impacting the fortunes of the BJP in the five States scheduled to go to the polls later this year has led to stepping up of efforts by BJP functionaries to end the strike soon.

The BJP chief, M. Venkaiah Naidu, too is learnt to have joined the efforts aimed at finding a solution. This development comes in the wake of the issue having figured prominently during a meeting that the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, had with three top party leaders — the Deputy Prime Minister, L. K. Advani, the Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh, and Mr. Naidu — on Sunday. Last week, the BJP general secretary, Pramod Mahajan, took up the truckers' demands with Mr. Vajpayee.

A view in the party is that the hardship of the common man who is suffering on account of rising prices and scarcity of essential commodities cannot be ignored. Since it is an all-India strike, the Centre could not escape blame if it continued. The AIMTC, which is spearheading the agitation, too would need a face-saving formula.

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