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BJP denies Khurana may do a Vaghela

Bharatiya Janata Party vice-president Jagdish Prasad Mathur today said Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madan Lal Khurana "might have been anguished" by recent political developments in Delhi, but "he is a dedicated leader and is working for the victory of the party" in the November 25 assembly poll there.

Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad, Mathur ruled out the possibility of Khurana joining hands with former Gujarat chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Party president Shankersinh Vaghela.

According to Mathur, the assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Mizoram are "not a referendum" on the price rise or the performance of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government at the Centre.

The polls are, however, important as a BJP victory in the three major states could strengthen the central government.

Claiming that the BJP would form the government in all three northern states going to the polls, Mathur hoped the party would also open its account in Mizoram.

Replying to a question, he said the state BJP units would decide on seat adjustments with its allies at the Centre like the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Samata Party.

He also said the state units would draft their respective poll manifestos. The party high command will only issue a general statement about its policies and programmes by November 10 instead of releasing a central manifesto for all the states.

Asked about the price rise, Mathur said it was a "world-wide phenomenon", coupled with natural disasters in several states. He claimed that prices had begun rising even before the Lok Sabha election earlier this year.

Prices of essential commodities had gone up even in the non-BJP ruled states like West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, he pointed out, adding that the central government is making all-out efforts to contain them.

UNI

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