NEW DELHI, Jan 2: The BJP today turned down Samata Party chief George Fernandes' demand for a common minimum programme (CMP) before the elections. ``We (the BJP and its allies) are not a common front. The question of a CMP will arise only after the polls. If Fernandes is upset, we will talk to him,'' party spokesperson Sushma Swaraj said.Sources in the BJP said that Fernandes's demand for a CMP or a common manifesto were probably part of his strategy to buttress his position while bargaining for seats.
The Samata Party is trying to both widen its horizons to states other than Bihar as well as expand its base in that state. In the 1996 Lok Sabha elections, the party had contested 22 seats in Bihar while the BJP had put up candidates in 32 constituencies. This time, Fernandes is bargaining for 24 seats. The Samata Party is also keen that the BJP should concede some seats in other states where it has a strong presence.
Swaraj also made it clear that Ayodhya, Article 370 and uniform civil code would remain
on the BJP's manifesto, despite the Samata Party's opposition. The BJP and its allies would each have their own separate manifesto and contest the elections on them, she said.
Swaraj sought to explain the contradictory statements on the Mathura and Kashi shrines made by Vishwa Hindu Parishad chief Ashok Singhal and BJP President L K Advani. ``The VHP says that Kashi and Mathura are on its agenda and the BJP has always maintained that these issues are not on the party's agenda. The VHP is a movement and the BJP is a political party,'' she said.
The BJP leadership took its own decisions, she said, seeking to make a distinction between the party and the RSS. Although consultations were held with the Sangh Parivar, the final decisions on issues were taken by the BJP, she held.
Meanwhile, the exodus from the Congress to the BJP continued, with three ex-MPs, including a former Union minister, joining the party. Debabrata Barua and Bhadreshwar Tanti, both former Lok Sabha MPs from Assam, and Lokesh Chandra
(member of the Congress's think tank and a former Rajya Sabha MP) formally joined the BJP today.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
