BJP looking to shore up alliances ahead of polls

Forging poll alliances with regional parties tops the agenda of the Bharatiya Janata Party's poll strategy and the party is already confident of roping in the Asom Gana Parishad in Assam into the fold of the National Democratic Alliance.

The party is in an aggressive mode to strike similar alliances in as many states as possible. Admitting this fact, BJP's national general secretary, Ananth Kumar said that forging poll alliances is one among the three pronged strategy formulated on Saturday at the national executive meeting.

Kumar also said that the party had resolved to enter into an alliance with the AGP in Assam. Forging alliances, setting up booth level committees and holding Vijay Sankalp rallies in every part of the country headed by L K Advani is the three pronged strategy to be adopted by the BJP.

The executive also finalized the campaign issues which would include, terrorism, nuclear deal, Amarnath issue and Ram Sethu. Kumar made it clear that the nuclear deal which according to the BJP was a compromise of national security would be a major poll issue. He said that while debating national security both the nuclear deal and terrorism would be given equal prominence.

With neighbours China and Pakistan both being nuclear states, the UPA government has surrendered the interest of the nation by forgoing our sovereign right to test.

When questioned whether BJP had dropped the Ram temple issue to appease its NDA partners, Ananth Kumar said that the stand of the party had not changed and added that they wanted this issue to be sorted out through legislative means.