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BJP plays soft hindutva, favours LS polls on time
Mumbai, June 20: BJP today said it favoured holding of the Lok Sabha polls `as per schedule` and going along with the NDA allies even as it sought to play the soft hindutva card demanding a ban on cow slaughter and asking the Centre to exert pressure on states to pass anti-conversion laws.
Mumbai, June 20: BJP today said it favoured holding of the Lok Sabha polls "as per schedule" and going along with the NDA allies even as it sought to play the soft hindutva card demanding a ban on cow slaughter and asking the Centre to exert pressure on states to pass anti-conversion laws.
Addressing a press conference on the conclusion of the four-day brainstorming session of the party, BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu said the conclave studied and reviewed the government and party`s performance as "only 15 months are left for the polls, which would be held as per schedule".
"We are happy about the party`s position in different parts of the country. We have good relations with allies with some exceptions. We are leading a 23-party coalition and we have to go along with the allies," Naidu said.
Asked whether the party would raise the Ayodhya issue during the elections, the BJP chief said: "We don`t fight elections on Ayodhya. It is not an election issue but a matter of faith for us and we want a grand temple to be constructed there."
Naidu said even though the party has not given up the three issues of Ram temple, Article 370 and Uniform Civil Code, but being a member of a 23-party NDA "we are committed to the coalition and the national agenda for governance".
Naidu said the meeting also decided to have improved relations and coordination with RSS-inspired organisations.
"We want to have good relations with all nationalist organisations and VHP is also a nationalist organisation," he said amidst reports of strained relations with the outfit championing the cause of Ram temple.
To a question on the differences between VHP and BJP on Ayodhya, he said: "It is not necessary that we agree with each other on every issue. Our views may differ."
Besides demanding a country-wide ban on cow slaughter, Naidu also asked the Centre to "exert pressure" on state governments to pass legislations banning "planned conversions being carried out in different states".
He also demanded immediate scrapping of the Illegal Migrants Detection Tribunal (IMDT) Act to check infiltration from Bangladesh into Assam.
Bureau Report