BJP fighting LS poll on development, not Hindutva: Party VP

The BJP is fighting the 2019 Lok Sabha polls on the development plank and its "sabka saath, sabka vikas" promise rather than Hindutva, the party's national vice president Prabhat Jha said here Monday.

The ruling party has been on the backfoot with repeated controversial statements by its Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused out on bail in the 2008 Malegaon blast case.

Jha was replying to queries on whether the BJP was relying on Hindutva in the polls going by the statements of Thakur.

"Its development versus development instead of Hindutva versus development. There is no election without development. The prime minister is also contesting the election on the basis of development done by him. Hindutva has never been an issue," Jha said.

"Hindutva is a way of life. I am not the only person saying so but the Supreme Court also has said that Hindutva is a way of life. We are moving ahead with sabka saath, sabka vikas. Development is the only issue (for the polls)," Jha added.

Jha also lashed out former chief minister and Congress' Bhopal Lok Sabha candidate Digvijaya Singh over the latter's "vision document" for the city's development.

"It is the document of a vision-less person. He lived in Bhopal for 10 years as CM. Everybody knows about potholed roads and poor infrastructure when he was in power," he said, adding that Thakur would also release a document on Bhopal's development soon after taking people's feedback.

"Chief Minister Kamal Nath himself believes that there would be a hung parliament. He said that an alliance government would be formed at the Centre. So for whom has Digvijaya presented this vision," Jha questioned.

Thakur has got notices from Election Commission over her remarks on former Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare who was killed in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

She had also said that she had taken part in the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.