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BJP to share power with allies even if it gets majority

Pankaj Upadhyay in Nagpur

Making a dig at Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee tonight declared that the Bharatiya Janata Party would share power with its allies even if it won a majority on its own in the Lok Sabha.

Vajpayee was speaking at a well-attended election campaign rally in Nagpur, headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Yesterday, Gandhi had, rather belatedly, admitted that Congress may not have any option but to form a coalition government if the election throws up a fractured verdict. This was in stark contrast to the party's earlier stand of seeking only outside support from its allies.

Senior Congress politicians have time and again equated coalition governments with 'instability' and made 'stability' their electoral plank.

Vajpayee, who was egged on by a capacity crowd at the sprawling Kasturchand Park even though intermittent showers threatened to disrupt the meeting, proved once again that Kargil was an emotive issue that could swing votes in his party's favour.

His references to the valour of the jawans who fought the Pakistan-backed intruders in Kargil were met by lusty cheers from the crowd.

Vajpayee said that though the BJP does not want to politicise Kargil, it would be a shame if the nation failed to "honour the sacrifices made by our brave soldiers".

He criticised earlier Congress government for having failed to give decisive replies to Pakistani aggression. "We did it this time. Not only did we drive the intruders back, we reclaimed every inch of our land," he said.

Vajpayee said that while Kargil won unprecedented international support for India, the Congress's attitude towards the conflict was negative from the very beginning.

He had a word of praise for the Maharashtra government for having taken positive steps for the state's development. He listed the initiative to make the state tanker-free and the record production of electricity among the achievements.

Chief Minister Narayan Rane of the Shiv Sena and Public Works Department Minister Nitin Gadkari of the BJP were present at the meeting.

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