“Every political party should mind its own business and dare not poke nose into the internal affairs of other parties”, observed senior BJP national leader M. Venkaiah Naidu.
Addressing mediapersons here on Tuesday, Venkaiah Naidu ridiculed Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s statement that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was now secular indirectly hailing the JD(U)’s separation from the BJP. “Did he (Nitish Kumar) become secular after parting ways with the BJP? Was he not secular earlier?, he asked. Turning tables on the Congress, Venkaiah said the Prime Minister has no right to talk about secularism, especially after inducting Muslim League leaders in his cabinet. “Is Muslim League and MIM secular? Why Congress forged tie-up with them? Why Congress and MIM are sharing power in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation?”, he asked.
Describing JD(U)’s decision to quit the National Democratic Alliance was sad, unexpected and a bolt from the blue, the former BJP president said the unpleasant development did not deter the spirit or the agenda of the party. “The reasons why the JD(U) left the NDA were best known to that party leaders only. They haven’t given a clear reason,” he added.
Stating that the JD(U) leader might not be happy with BJP decision to project Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as NDA’s Prime Ministerial candidate, Venkaiah ridiculed Nitish Kumar’s duplicity and recalled the latter’s statement in 2003 that he (Nitish) wanted that Narendra Modi to serve the nation the way he has done for Gujarat. “The JD(U)’s exit has “something more than that meets the eye”, he added.
Naidu pointed out that the Congress uses the word ‘secular’ as a shield whenever it faces danger to its existence. He advised the ruling party to concentrate on the governance that was worsening instead of reading much into the affairs of the BJP. Referring to the Prime Minister’s statement that people of the country know what Narendra Modi stands for, Venkaiah said it was true that people know that the Gujarat Chief Minister stands for three Ds i.e. Dynamism, Decisiveness and Development. People want speedy, comprehensive and all-round development, he said, adding that UPA lacks these three tenets.
Ridiculing the talk of Third Front, Naidu brushed away the talk of serious threat to the BJP and its allies. He questioned the possibility of a Federal Front emerging when there are several parties that do not see eye to eye. “For instance, if the YSRCP and the TDP could be part of the proposed Third Front, will there be any alignment?”, he asked.
Asked whether the NDA was weakening bit by bit, he said if BJP strengthens, the NDA will get strengthened as well. “The Congress rule was a total failure on all fronts and it lost people’s faith”, he said. He exuded confidence that the NDA would certainly come back to power due to omissions and commissions of the Congress-led UPA.
State BJP president G. Kishan Reddy, Dr K. Laxman, Ramachandraiah and others were also present. (NSS)