Alliances part of ranneeti, not neeti, says Rajnath

Sources said that Singh revealed the BJP was in talks with a few other political leaders, but he did not name anyone.

BJP party president Rajnath Singh. (Reuters)

After questions were raised over the BJP’s recent political tie-ups, its president on Sunday assured the RSS the party will not compromise with ideology, and that the alliances were only part of “ranneeti (strategy)” and not “neeti (policy)”.

Sources said Singh, while addressing the annual meeting of the RSS members in Bangalore, clarified that tie-ups with leaders and parties such as Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP were needed for an excellent performance in the Lok Sabha polls and such moves are inevitable in politics. Paswan, who was also a minister in the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had broke away over the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Justifying decisions, he further said in elections floating votes usually go with the party or the alliance which appears to be a winner. “Ye vote uske saath jaate hain jiska palda bhaari hota hai,” he said, adding, leaders or parties joining hands either with the BJP or the NDA have faith its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. The sources said that Singh revealed the BJP was in talks with a few other political leaders, but he did not name anyone.

The BJP chief, during his 15-minute speech at the meeting, asserted that these alliances do not mean the party was “deviating from the ideology, which led to its birth”.
Praising Modi, Singh said that he had never seen any other leader who can attract such huge crowds to his rallies. To convert these crowds into votes for the BJP, he said, party workers and the RSS were working in tandem and putting their best efforts.