BJP harps on forming govt, flaunts its 14 tribal MLAs

Krishnamurthy said the BJP was in no mood to give up the Chief Ministership to JMM. Answering a question on the controversial statement of RSS Chief K.S. Sudarshan calling for “Indianisation” of churches, Krishnamurthy said the BJP had nothing to do with it. “Anyone is free to have religious faith of one’s choice and propagate it as guaranteed under the Constitution,” he said, addiing that it was for the church to accept or reject Sudarshan’s call and the BJP was not at all in the picture.

The BJP, as also the NDA Government, stood for absolute freedom to propagate any religion by the minorities, Krishnamurthy said.

He said CPI(M) general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet’s call for a third Front appeared to be a non starter. He also said that RJD chief Laloo Yadav had already stated that his party would team up with the Congress. “The Samajwadi Party of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav has also not shown any enthusiasm for the CPI(M) proposal,” he added.

He said Jyoti Basu’s announcement to quit office next week was guided by the fear that his record of running a government successively for 23 years would come to an end in the next Assembly elections. “Otherwise where is the need for a change of guard with the Assembly elections a few months away? Seemingly, he has no physical fatigue that warrants retirement,” he said.The Left Front government had nothing to take credit for its long rule except stalling industrialistion in the state, he alleged and added that Basu’s remark about the NDA Government at the Centre beiing “uncivilised”, Krishnamurthy said Basu was using intemperate language against the Central leadership despite him being a cultured person. “We (party) will not return in the same coin. After all, he is a spent force in West Bengal. Let him stick to his present threat to resign,” he said.