BJP admits plan to topple UPA during Prez polls

The revelation was made by senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh who said that the NDA was ready to extend outside support to any UNPA candidate for the prime ministership last year in lieu of support to Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who was an independent presidential candidate backed by the NDA.

Addressing a joint press conference along with BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani, Singh however dismissed Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh's recent claim that the saffron party had agreed to support SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav for the prime minister's post.

 

Amar Singh's statement had come at a time when the SP was moving towards supporting the Congress if Left parties withdraw support to the UPA government.

Jaswant Singh said that he had made the offer on behalf of the NDA to the UNPA and had routed it through AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa.

He, however, said that the offer was open for any UNPA candidate, and not for any particular leader.

The BJP has so far been in a denial mode on the issue for the past few days with party spokesmen dubbing the reports quoting Amar Singh as "baseless and a pure work of fiction."  Jaswant Singh said he had conveyed to the UNPA leaders that any one of them could become the prime minister and the NDA would extend outside support to the government.

Asked why he had visited Amar Singh's residence few days back, Jaswant Singh said that it was "to ascertain which way the wind is blowing in the Samajwadi Party."