Sabrang Election Monitor Wednesday, March 24, 2004 ______

1. How the BJP stays at the top Have you ever wondered how the BJP almost always manages to pull the rug from under their opponents' feet?

The answer lies in a building at 's Ashoka Road. Known to everyone as the BJP headquarters, it is now the party war room where the movement of opponents are mapped and strategies formulated. [Rediff on Net]

2. BJP uses police as poll spy in Panaji, March 23: In a series of dramatic events coinciding with Tuesday’s visit of Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon to the state, the Congress caused the ruling BJP deep embarrassment when it released an internal police memo that directed beat constables to "watch over political activities" and collect and report intelligence on local Opposition politicians.

It identified local Opposition leaders by name and party. No instructions were issued regarding the ruling BJP.

"Your duty relates to collection of intelligence pertaining to political developments, students movement, activities in madrasas... Activities of political parties like the MGP, the Congress (I), the Janata Dal, the Kruti Nagrik Samiti, activities of villagers from Mopa village, besides activities by MLAs like Jitendra Deshprabhu, Dayanand Narvekar, Ramakant Khalap (sic)," the memo stated.

The disclosure late on Monday evening caused a storm within the police and home department headed by Goa .

(The) police chief Seva Das has ordered a probe into the affair and suspended the ASI in the interim. [Asian Age]

3. Dynasty rule is OK, if it helps the BJP This brings the total of seats declared to 324, the party general secretary, Pramod Mahajan, said while releasing the list. He indicated that the BJP would contest "364 to 365" Lok Sabha seats in all. To clear the remaining names, the committee would meet again on March 27. As many as 30 BJP MPs of the dissolved Lok Sabha have failed to get the ticket.

In , 18 candidates were declared today. Two "sons'', Dushyant Singh, son of the Chief Minister, , and Manvendra Singh, son of the Union Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh, have been given the Lok Sabha

1 ticket. Dushyant Singh will contest from Jhalawar, the Lok Sabha constituency won five time by Ms. Raje and vacated by her after she became the Chief Minister less than four months ago. [The Hindu]

4. Congress protests anti-Sonia ad on TV , March 23: The Congress on Tuesday objected to an advertisement which raises the issue of Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin without naming her. It requested the Election Commission to take immediate action in the matter, which it said was "violative of the model code of conduct."

Party spokesman Kapil Sibal said that the ad, purportedly issued by one Kamakshi Educational Society, seeks "to incite violence and is also against good taste and decency and was a case fit for prosecution."

He accused the BJP of indulging in such tactics as its electoral graph was coming down day by day. "They (the BJP) had collaborated with the British during the freedom struggle and now they are accusing Sonia of being a foreigner," he said.

AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes has already written a letter to the Election Commission in the matter. [Asian Age]

5. BJP in for a shock in Jharkhand? The BJP has a lot at stake in this small state. In the last Lok Sabha elections, the party had won 11 out of the 14 seats that fell in the south Bihar region that has become Jharkhand now. In the last 10 years or so, Jharkhand has emerged as one of the strongholds of the BJP, yet another tribal dominated area to turn to the BJP in this period.

Things are not the same for the BJP this time. The BJP cannot any more invoke the promise of creating a new State; now it has to account for what it has delivered.

What will worry it most is the formidable alliance put together by the Opposition led by the Congress.

Assuming that all parties have the vote share that they got in 1999, this alliance, friendly contest and all, is enough to bring the BJP tally down to seven seats, a loss of four seats. If the BJP has lost votes since the last Lok Sabha elections, the effect could be deadly. A loss of two percentage points could bring the BJP down to five seats and a loss of four percentage points will bring the BJP to just three seats in the State.

The one factor that can upset all the calculations is the role played by ‘naxalite' groups such as the MCC, the MCCI and the PWG. These groups

2 wield considerable force in constituencies such as Chatra, Palamau, Hazaribagh and Singhbhum and some of them are known not to be averse to material considerations in return for electoral favours. [The Hindu, opinion, Yogendra Yadav]

6. I will contest against Vajpayee: Agnivesh NEW DELHI: Contending that liberal credentials of had taken a knock after Gujarat riots, Swami Agnivesh on Tuesday said he would contest the coming Lok Sabha elections against the Prime Minister from Lucknow or support a candidate who was capable of defeating him.

"My main objective is that Vajpayee should be defeated," he told reporters here.

Agnivesh said he was trying to garner support from opposition parties for his candidature. "I recently met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and I have got a positive response," he said adding he was making efforts to contact Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party leaders.

"If I feel there is someone who is more likely to defeat Vajpayee, I will withdraw my candidature and even campaign for him or her," he added. Agnivesh said he would reach Lucknow on Wednesday to gauge people's mood. [The Times of ].

7. HC ruling pleases Naidu The High Court verdict is a shot in the arm for the ruling TDP in . Having invested heavily both in terms of money, material and manpower in making several television programmes as part of its election campaign, the TDP may now pull out all stops in launching a blitzkrieg on the small screen. The Congress, on the other hand, has mainly chosen the big screen as part of its multi-media campaign.

Welcoming the High Court order, the State Information Minister, S. Chandramohan Reddy, said that it would help the candidates and political parties in their campaign. The use of cable television by political parties was quite common in the West because of its cost-effectiveness, he added.

Our New Delhi Legal Correspondent reports: Asked by presspersons whether the Election Commission would move the Supreme Court against the Andhra Pradesh High Court ruling, the Deputy Election Commissioner, A.N. Jha, said "the Commission will study the order before deciding on the future course of action." [The Hindu] 8. Sonia, Pawar joint rally in Solapur Mumbai, March 23: Unable to forge an alliance with the Samajwadi Party in Maharashtra, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party alliance are leaving no stone unturned in their show of strength that symbolises the

3 "secular unity" of their tie-up. Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Mr Sharad Pawar will hold their first-ever joint rally at Solapur on March 29.

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president, Ranjit Deshmukh, said that the two leaders will offer prayers at the local Tulja Bhavani temple before addressing the people.

NCP spokesperson Gurunath Kulkarni, added that the Congress and the NCP have their own strengths. "The rally is being organised to galvanise workers of both parties. We will send a joint message that together, we will fight the communal forces in Maharashtra," he added [Asian Age].

9. Gujarat Muslims, BJP cold shoulder Arif Ahmedabad, March 23: IT WAS with much fanfare that the BJP welcomed Arif Mohammed Khan into its fold as a prominent Muslim face, with national president Venkaiah Naidu himself in attendance. But — notwithstanding Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s overtures to Muslims — in riot-shadowed Gujarat, where those overtures need to be realised most, the party unit seems to have given Khan a wide berth on his first visit since he became a BJP man.

For one, the party did not organise Khan’s Tuesday public meeting: it was left to ‘‘his friends’’, under the banner of an impromptu Bharatiya Samrasta Aur Vikas Samiti. For another, not one BJP leader of importance was present.

And, worst of all, only 50-60 people turned up to hear him speak, though Samiti organiser Gajnaffar Khan Pathan had promised have the Ahmedabad town hall packed. So Khan was left trying to persuade a handful of Muslim leaders— among them the BJP’s minority cell chief Gani Khan Qureshi— why they should vote for the BJP and join it. [The Indian Express]

· BJP’s illusion trick L.K. Advani has just linked two noteworthy but disparate observations in the expectation of creating a favourable poll-time effect. He has said that a country “as vast and pluralistic as India” can’t be ruled by an ideological party such as the Jan Sangh (which became the BJP). This is quite right and leads naturally to his inference that a party has to be ‘inclusive’ to rule.

But is the DPM merely being clever when he notes that the BJP has had to dilute its ideology? Is the audience being invited to assume that since the BJP could come to power, it must also have changed? The linkage is yet to hold up — thanks to the communal mayhem in Gujarat, the wilful distortion of history textbooks and many other recent happenings that suggest otherwise.

Why does Mr Advani want us to believe that the leopard is changing its spots? The cynic could believe that it’s because of election-time expediency

4 — especially to help the BJP attract minority votes. Or is it the realist who’s thinking in that manner? [Hindustan Times, editorial]

· BJP, your slip is showing Try as it might, the BJP is unable to mask its true face. The BJP has said that Indo-Pak relations should be improved for “domestic harmony between communities”. L.K. Advani added that the root cause of tension between Hindus and Muslims was the creation of Pakistan.

He further said that “the BJP alone can find a solution to problems with Pakistan because Hindus will never think that whatever we have done can be a sell-off”. Finally, K.S. Sudarshan declared with a flourish that India “has no minorities”.

The sheer effrontery of these statements clearly establishes the following: first, that Advani and his party see everyone in religious terms. Their first concern is whether one is a Hindu, Muslim or Christian and not whether one is an Indian. So much for their avowed nationalism.

Second, it negates the very essence of India’s existence: its unity in diversity; its pluralism and humanism. The basic structure of Indian secularism, as held by the Supreme Court, is humanistic pluralism. If one talks of policy perspectives vis-à-vis impact on religious communities, one fails to see India as an indivisible whole.

Third, it validates Pakistan’s two-nation theory, as Advani too views India as different communities, different religions and hence different nations.

Fourth…

Fifth, Sudarshan needs to re-learn his Constitution that recognises religious, linguistic and cultural minorities. He propounds a novel lesson in law, politics and sociology when he denies the existence of Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Christians and Muslims as minorities. This is an indication of what the BJP- RSS would like to do to the Constitution in years to come. [Hindustan Times, opinion, Abhishek Singhvi].

10. Mann to stop Advani's Yatra CHANDIGARH, MARCH 23: Radical Sikh leader and MP, Simranjit Singh Mann, has announced that his Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) party would stop the Bharat Uday Yatra of the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, on Thursday. He announced a programme to put a blockade near Khumanon town of Fatehgarh Sahib district and also show black flags on the route.

Talking to reporters here today, Mr. Mann said Mr. Advani's yatra, whose first leg was scheduled to culminate at Amritsar on March 26, was a direct challenge to the minorities, especially the Sikhs. He said the attempt was to

5 spread communal and hegemonistic agenda of the BJP and its . Mr. Advani's programme would be a threat to the peace and could create law and order problems in the State. [The Hindu]

· To help yatri Advani compete, BJP fields giant TV screens CHANDIGARH, MARCH 23: When the ball gets rolling, will the rath keep rolling? The BJP doesn’t want to hazard a guess. So when L K Advani enters this city atop his Bharat Uday chariot on Wednesday, his rally would have two extra features—giant screens telecasting live the India-Pak cricket match from just across the border.

… To remove any remaining misgivings, the local BJP has another hope: that Advani will be persuaded to hold back his speech too till the end of the match. There’s no word on that as yet. [The Indian Express)

· Advani uses a different tongue in Mathura & Ayodhya WESTERN U.P., MARCH 23: The Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani's "Bharat Uday Yatra'' hurtled through five Lok Sabha constituencies in western Uttar Pradesh today highlighting the development agenda on which the Bharatiya is seeking a comeback. But at every public meeting he addressed, the development message came with an "Ayodhya'' footnote and a reference to "the foreign origin issue."

And the Ayodhya footnote changed as per the audience. In Mathura — close to the controversial Krishnajanmabhoomi Temple — Mr. Advani's parting shot to the crowd was that a Ram temple would be built in Ayodhya and India would have "Ram Rajya.'' A couple of hours later in Aligarh, the Deputy Prime Minister brought up the temple issue again.

But this time in deference to the town's sizeable Muslim population, he said a Ram temple would be built in Ayodhya through negotiations and without any bitterness.

Lamenting the state of Muslims in the country, he urged them to become educated and stay away from vote bank politics. [The Hindu]

12. Mahajan, Jaitley not to contest LS polls NEW DELHI, MARCH 23. The BJP’s second-rung leaders — Pramod Mahajan, , and — will not contest the Lok Sabha elections.

The party president, Venkaiah Naidu, formally announced this today after a meeting of the Central Election Committee, where the "final word" was said on the matter. Mr. Naidu had announced earlier that he would not contest.

6 However, Mr. Naidu, and the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, felt that with the tremendous task ahead — of winning the Lok Sabha elections with a handsome margin — the party could not afford to allow its team of poll managers to be caught in their own small battles. [The Hindu].

13. SC may consider fresh evidence in Best case NEW DELHI: The Gujarat government on Tuesday joined the key witness in the Best Bakery case, Zaheera Sheikh, in urging the Supreme Court to consider additional evidence given by witnesses and decide whether the trial court and the high court were justified in acquitting all the 21 accused.

Zaheera’s counsel Kapil Sibal and Gujarat’s counsel Mukul Rohtagi made this plea before a Bench of Justices Doraiswamy Raju and Arijit Pasayat as it started hearing the appeals challenging the high court order upholding the acquittal of the accused who had burnt alive 14 persons in Best Bakery two years ago.

At the outset, the judges made it clear that it will first go into the issue whether the additional evidence given by four witnesses, including Zaheera, was to be taken into account while deciding the appeals against the trial court order. [The Times of India]

14. Tax harvest adds to feel-good factor NEW DELHI: Though the income tax department may give many a headache, it has the government feeling pretty good this year. An expected bonus reap of Rs 30,000 crore in its revenue collections this fiscal is more than enough for the Centre to boast about a good economy.

According to sources in the department, revenue nationally has shown a striking growth of over 30 per cent. This year, till March 15, the department had collected Rs 78,800 crore. The figure is about Rs 18,000 crore higher than its collection last year (Rs 62,400 crore).

The corporate sector has been a significant contributor. While the net corporate tax stood at Rs 32,160 crore till March 15 last year, the figure this year has hit Rs 44,140-crore mark. [The Times of India]. 15. Hazarika pulls in huge crowd on BJP chariot Guwahati, March 23: If turnout is any indicator, music maestro Bhupen Hazarika has succeeded in pulling a large crowd in his first trip to Guwahati after joining the BJP.

More than 5,000 BJP cadres accorded a hero’s welcome to the bard of the Brahamaputra, who expressed his gratitude to them by singing his popular song Manuhe Manuhar Bawe Jodi He Akona Na Bhawe, Akani Sahanubhuti Re Bhabibo Kone Na Kowa.

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Amidst heavy security arrangements when the chariot of Dr Hazarika rolled through the streets of Guwahati, hundreds of men and women were seen jostling for a glimpse of the music maestro. [Asian Age]

APPENDIX How the BJP stays at the top Have you ever wondered how the BJP almost always manages to pull the rug from under their opponents' feet?

The answer lies in a building at Delhi's Ashoka Road. Known to everyone as the BJP headquarters, it is now the party war room where the movement of opponents are mapped and strategies formulated.

Entering, one is enveloped by frenzied activity that characterises the place. Dominating it is party chief M Venkaiah Naidu, who sounds anxious. "Make sure that their (Congress) statement is adequately countered with facts and figures," he says.

"Yes sir," says a voice from the other end of the room, as others carry on with their tasks at hand.

It is early morning and the crackle of excitement is palpable among its 11 occupants. The cell operates from seven in the morning to midnight in three shifts.

Siddharth Nath Singh, joint convener of the election media cell, and , media adviser to the party chief, know that Naidu's directions mean another challenging assignment.

The challenge lies in giving party general secretary and spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi the right kind and amount of information to counter the Congress. All this entails discussions and the chalking out of a strategy. The war room has a single point agenda. To make sure that Atal Bihari Vajpayee occupies the prime ministerial chair again.

It was at Naidu's direction the party decided neither to spare resources or efforts to make the dream come true. The cell has 10 television sets to monitor various channels, including BBC and CNN.

"This is to ensure we obtain all possible inputs on what is being said by which party, how we can formulate our election strategy and what needs to be done in the overall situation. Basically, we want to leave nothing to chance," Singh says.

The war room has access to Press Trust of India and United News of India news feeds and three dedicated computers for bilingual (English and Hindi)

8 dissemination of the BJP's point of view. Personnel drawn from the BJP's youth wing constantly monitor activity within the war room.

"Ours is a continuous process and sometimes the tensions tell. But we gain confidence when there is a pat on the back by the leadership for a job well done or a move well directed," says Kohli, who many Doordarshan viewers know better as a news reader.

The conveners are neither paid by the BJP nor does the party bear any of their expenses. Both Singh and Kohli joined the BJP and say belief and conviction on 'its overall soundness' attracted them to it.

Singh is the grandson of Lal Bahadur Shastri, the late Congress prime minister. He says he became "disgusted" when Congress chief Sonia Gandhi declared her intention to be the prime ministerial candidate.

He is in charge of ensuring that the SMS campaign is kept on the boil. Whenever a mediaperson receives a SMS about a BJP press conference it is Singh and his team at work.

'Press conf today (18. 3. 2004) at 3.00 PM at 11, Ashoka Road, Siddharth Nath, media cell BJP,' reads a typical party SMS to reporters.

"Apart from reporters covering the BJP beat on a regular basis, our party does not refuse others who present their business cards and insist that we include them on our media mailing list," insists Shambhu, a party worker at the cell.

Shambhu is a constant fixture at Ashoka Road, constantly interacting with reporters, distributing press statements and facilitating party coverage. He even, occasionally, accompanies reporters on outstation assignments.

On an average, nearly 250 SMS messages go out from the media cell to reporters.

Computer operator Pritam and media cell operative Sudhanshu are responsible for keeping the research and documentation department up and running. Dossiers are prepared and maintained to enable the leadership to be in tune with the latest developments.

"Nothing is ignored. Even the most innocuous event is taken cognisance of and that keeps all of us on our toes all the time," Sudhanshu points out.

"We intend to win and we will do so. That much has been conveyed to all in the party by Venkaiahji who has masterminded our election strategy of which the media cell is just one of the instruments," Kohli says, indicating that he and his band of brothers could be the party's leaders of tomorrow. [Rediff on Net]

9 1. BJP’s love for Muslims will not last: Singhal GORAKHPUR: Participating in a conference on Tuesday, VHP leader Ashok Singhal confidently predicted that the BJP’s love for Muslims will be short- lived. Whatever the BJP might do, Muslims are unlikely to vote for it, he asserted.

He added that the BJP’s wooing of Muslims was merely to please its NDA allies. [Amar Ujala].

2. Oil companies pay dearly for ‘feel good’ factor Crude oil prices have shot up by 4-5 dollars per barrel in the international market in the last three months. But with elections round the corner, the Indian consumer is King for now. The oil companies are forced to stick to the price line stable for now even if it means mounting losses. But its certain to be payback time for consumers once the polls are over. [Dainik Bhaskar].

3. BJP to replay PM's call campaign New Delhi: Now, the BJP is thinking of using Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's popularity to campaign for its Lok Sabha candidates on telephone.

The Prime Minister was till now seeking votes for the party on telephone. It was a message recorded in his voice, starting with the booming "Main Atal Bihari Vajpayee bol raha hoon…"

Now, the BJP is thinking of launching a second campaign whereby the Prime Minister will seek votes for individual candidates. A senior party leader said, "The Prime Minister's popularity is high but the same is not true for sitting MPs. We are trying to push the PM's popular appeal for the MPs." The logic is while people remain amenable to Mr Vajpayee's appeal, the same is neutralised by the anger against local MPs. "The PM asking people to vote for the MP may make a difference," he said. [The Pioneer].

4. Uma Govt smells rat in hastily tabled ATR on Babri riots Bhopal: Two separate reports on the communal clashes that followed the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 in Bhopal and Ujjain are causing problems for the Uma Bharati Government. The first one is a riot panel report and the other is the Action Taken Report (ATR).

It is, however, the ATR which has left the State Government in a fix. This is because the haste with which the ATR was tabled has also baffled many in both political and bureaucratic circles.

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The riot panel, headed by retired High Court Judge K K Dube, had indicted the then BJP Government headed by Sunderlal Patwa and certain sections of the Muslim community. But, what is more politically embarrassing for Chief Minister is the more damaging ATR was tabled in the Assembly without her prior consent.

The ATR, attached with the report, has absolved the Muslims and officials of any misdoing, while agreeing with the findings of the panel on the "apathy and inept handling" of the Patwa regime. No wonder, the ATR was prepared under outgoing Chief Minister Digvijay Singh's personal supervision in September 2003, just two months before the Assembly polls.

In an unprecedented move, State B K Saha has slapped show-cause notices on two principal secretaries in the state - Subroto Banerjee and Ajit Raizada. [The Pioneer].

STATES

MAHARASHTRA Republicans united to defeat communal forces Ramdas Athavle, the president of the RPI (Athavle group) and former MP Has stated in an interview to the eveninger, Mahanagar, that all factions of the RPI have come together into a federation this time determined to prevent fragmentation of Dalit votes and to ensure defeat of the communal forces. [Mahanagar, Mumbai].

KARNATAKA Bangarappa’s moves upset party, Parivar SHIMOGA: It appears that the BJP has bitten off more than it can chew. Bangarappa’s hop-over from the Congress to the BJP has set off cataclysmic changes, both for the party as well as in his family circle.

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And it all began with the BJP giving Bangarappa complete freedom with the choice of tickets for Shimoga district, his fiefdom.

For one, his son and heir-apparent Kumar Bangarappa is, apparently, no longer the favoured heir. Though he followed his father meekly out of the Congress, the Soraba ticket went to Madhu Bangarappa. But the cine star, who has been shocked incommunicado by his father’s fell swoop, could now upset the applecart.

The Congress is already reconsidering his expulsion. His followers, meanwhile, refuse to support or campaign for Madhu.

Bangarappa has also kept all the tickets in the family. This has enraged loyal BJP workers. Dumbfounded BJP leaders say this could have a negative impact on the party’s performance. [Times of India].

BJP and JD(U) strike poll pact NEW DELHI: Defence minister finally had to speak to Deputy PM L K Advani to get BJP to agree to a seat-sharing arrangement with his party in . Initially, BJP leaders M Venkaiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley — who is in charge of the state — had said publicly that JD(U) had withered away in the state, and so it made little sense to tie up with it.

But on Tuesday, at a joint briefing addressed by Jaitley and JD(U) leader Digvijay Singh, in the presence of Fernandes and Naidu, the two parties announced that they had agreed to contest the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Karnataka together. [Times of India].

RAJASTHAN Vasundhara target of Jains’ ire JAIPUR — The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh may have attracted criticism for banning consumption of non-vegetarian food and liquor in three holy cities, the Rajasthan government is facing criticism for doing just the opposite.

Social organisations representing the Jain community have decided to launch an agitation against the Vasundhara Raje government for lifting the ban on sale of non-vegetarian food and liquor near their pilgrimage centre, Ranakpur, in Pali district. It was allegedly done under pressure from a powerful Union minister, to please the hoteliers.

The national general secretary of Jain Samta Vahini, Mr Sohan Mehta, said the instruction to launch the agitation has come from the supreme organisation of Jains — the Anandji Kalyanji Trust — which manages about

12 one lakh Jain temples in the country. [The Statesman].

DELHI

BJP plans an aggressive campaign NEW DELHI, MARCH 23. Planning an "aggressive" and "scientific" election campaign, the Delhi Pradesh today declared readiness for a well-planned drive to ensure victory for all its seven candidates for the Lok Sabha from Delhi. All cells -- women, youth and powerful orators -- will be roped in for the campaign. The decision, taken during an Election Campaign Committee meeting held at BJP's Delhi unit headquarters today, also emphasised the need for a comprehensive election campaign. It was also decided that the Election Campaign Committee would meet twice a week to decide its strategy.

According to a press release, the BJP workers will campaign amongst the jhuggi-jhonpri dwellers, footpath vendors, youths, students and housewives to spread awareness about the "achievements of Central Government and the development-oriented steps of the party". [The Hindu].

ENDS.

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