Bjp Plans Aggressive Campaign In Up

Party president L K Advani and leader of the Opposition Atal Behari Vajpayee were among those present at the meeting. Elated by the High Court verdict staying proceedings against Advani, senior BJP leaders who met here decided that the party should become aggressive on the issue of corruption as the court judgement was almost like a clean chit for Advani.

The party also targeted Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda for promising ten per cent reservation in government jobs to economically backward candidates among the forward castes. Terming it as a violation of the model code of conduct, the party decided to take up the issue with the Election Commission.

Party President L K Advani, who took a day off from his Uttar Pradesh campaign, presided over both sessions of the meeting. Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayeee attended the evening session only.

Others who attended the meeting included leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Sikander Bakht; vice-presidents Jana Krishnamurthy and Madan Lal Khurana; general secretaries Sushma Swaraj, K N Govindacharya and M Venkaiah Naidu; Delhi Chief Minister Saheb Singh Varma, spokesman Yashwant Sinha and K R Malkani.

Talking to newsmen at the party office, Vajpayee demanded that the Election Commission must intervene and take action against Deve Gowda for violation of the model code of conduct.

A senior BJP leader said the BJP had become demoralised because of special judge V B Gupta's order that charges be framed against Advani.

On the issue of Gujarat, the party decided to gain sympathy of the voters by stressing on the anti-BJP conspiracy theory. The meeting endorsed the idea of challenging the dismissal of the Suresh Mehta Government in the court but decided to leave the matter with legal experts.

The BJP has already written to the Election Commission, pointing out the Garhmukteshwar meeting of Deve Gowda, where he is reported to have announced the government's intention to amend the constitution for providing ten per cent reservation in government jobs to forward caste candidates.

The petition to the Election Commission also pointed to Gowda's announcement that 25 new sugar mills would be set-up in the state. It has demanded that the EC should discipline Gowda and forbid him from visiting the state.