BJP unveils ‘muscular’ election manifesto

NEW DELHI, April 7 (Reuters): Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), widely tipped to form the next government, pledged on Monday to revise the India’s nuclear doctrine, whose central principle is that New Delhi would not be the first to use atomic weapons in a conflict.

Unveiling its election manifesto, the party gave no details, but sources involved in drafting the document said the “no-first-use” policy introduced after India conducted a series of nuclear tests in 1998 would be reconsidered. Arch-rival Pakistan, which responded within weeks that year by conducting tests of its own, does not profess “no first use”.

The BJP, which ordered the tests in 1998, said it would seek friendly relations with neighbours, but - without naming any country - vowed to “deal with cross-border terrorism with a firm hand” and take a “strong stand and steps” when required.

Opinion polls have said the BJP will emerge as the single biggest party in the five-week election that began on Monday, but may fall short of the majority required to rule. A BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition government is the most likely outcome, they have said.

Setting out its Hindu nationalist leanings, the party vowed to explore building a Ram temple at the site of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh that was torn down by zealots 22 years ago, potentially putting a deeply controversial issue back into play.

“There’s a religious right in the BJP so they want to acknowledge that without making it the centerpiece of the manifesto,” said Ashok Malik, a political columnist. “I don’t think the BJP is going to take it forward as a political movement.”

The party made a commitment to withdrawing a special autonomous status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority region, which many in the BJP believe prolongs ambiguity over the status of a territory claimed by Pakistan. It added that it would aim for the return of Hindus who left Kashmir when the region was roiled by insurgency.

REJECTS FOREIGN RETAILERS
The BJP accused the left-leaning Congress, which has led the country’s ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition for the past decade, of “weak and spineless” leadership.

“Instead of creating a socio-economic and political paradigm of governance drawn from the civilisational consciousness of India, the leaders tried to follow whatever was being practiced in this or that Western country,” it said.

It said it would link welfare programmes introduced by the Congress to asset creation, and would review the country’s strong labour laws. It said it would encourage foreign direct investment, but made clear it was not in favour of opening the retail sector to foreign supermarket brands such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc  and Tesco Plc.

“It is unfortunate and a massively regressive decision,” said a senior official at Trent (TREN.NS: Quote, Profile, Research), the local partner of Tesco, the only foreign retailer to have committed to setting up a chain of stores in India. “It is difficult to understand what happens next, just now, because we need some clarity on what they are saying. Whether they will scrap the policy or whether they will just not allow anyone new to apply,” he said.

The BJP opposes foreign investment in the retail sector to protect small businesses and traders, many of whom are its supporters. However, a party source said it was highly unlikely that the BJP would roll back the legislation introduced by Congress allowing global retail chains to set up in India.

The BJP also promised a massive emphasis on reviving India’s creaking infrastructure with plans to build 100 new cities, a high-speed rail network, and a 10-year-plan to roll out low-cost housing to every Indian family.

 

 

NEW Delhi, April 7 (PTI): Political parties on Monday slammed BJP’s manifesto especially over inclusion of Ram temple and other ‘Hindutva’ issues, saying it was only aimed at hoodwinking voters.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh accused BJP of exploiting religion for political gains. Pointing to a recent sting on the Ram Mandir agitation, he said many VHP leaders were heard saying that the death of some Hindus was required to infuse a new life into the movement. “They spoke about religion and have exploited it politically,” the Congress general secretary said. Left parties also came down heavily on BJP for the mention of Ram Temple issue in its manifesto, saying it is intended to “consolidate” Hindu votes. Observing that BJP has reiterated its “hardcore Hindutva agenda” by highlighting issues like the Ram Temple, abrogation of Article 370 and a uniform civil code, senior CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said “this is its real agenda”. Terming the manifesto as mere sloganeering, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said people have witnessed in the past that issues like Common Civil Code, Ram Mandir and Article 370 are “handles” for BJP to come to power.

Similar views were echoed by Farooq Abdullah who said BJP was trying to fool people of this country by “selling dreams”. Omar reminded that this is not the first time that issues like Article 370, Ram temple and Common Civil Code have been raised. “Please tell me when did they actually address these issues when they were in power. What was the development done by them on these issues,” he said, adding, “This is purely an effort to hoodwink the voters of this country.”

Naresh Agarwal of Samajwadi Party said the manifesto was only a showpiece and BJP was interested in grabbing power by any means. “Their manifesto is eating... and cheating. It is about grabbing power, doing the politics over dead bodies...,” he said.

Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi questioned how BJP will fulfil its promise of building a house for every family and reaching drinking water to all villages. “Where from will money come? How long will it take? They should be clear about it,” he said.