On Jinnah, JD-U bats for Advani

‘‘Whatever Advani has said on Pakistan soil is correct. It will improve Indo-Pak ties and means well for the country’s internal politics,’’ said senior JD(U) leader, Digvijay Singh after a two-hour-long party meet.

Party secretary-general K C Tyagi said that they had gone over every aspect of Advani’s Pakistan trip and were happy with his statements on Jinnah and on the Babri Masjid demolition which he had said was the ‘‘saddest day’’ of his life.

Tyagi also conveyed his party’s unhappiness with the objections raised by the Sangh Parivar on Advani’s Jinnah statements.

According to party sources, JD(U) leaders are unhappy with the way the RSS is trying to dictate policies to the BJP, especially when the Bihar elections are around the corner. There is a strong feeling that the entire episode will have a negative impact on the NDA alliance, they said.

Asked before today’s meeting whether the JD(U) would cut ties with the BJP on the Advani issue, party leader and the NDA’s CM candidate Nitish Kumar said, ‘‘If we have to take any such decision, we will consider the total scenario.’’

March of 130 today

NEW DELHI: The stage is set for the NDA’s show of strength in the Capital tomorrow, with leaders of the alliance claiming that they would parade 130 MLAs of the dissolved

Bihar Assembly in a march to Rashtrapati Bhawan to ‘‘prove’’ their majority in the 243-member House. JD(U leaders claimed that 22 former LJP MLAs have joined their alliance, adding that 100 MLAs are already in Delhi. —ENS