BJP national executive overshadowed by Nitish Kumar's anger

Ahead of assembly polls in Bihar, the BJP top brass today began deliberations at its national executive meeting to fine-tune election strategy but the event was overshadowed by ally and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar cancelling a dinner for them angry over his photo being shown alongside that of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi.

The meeting, the first after the new office-bearers and the national executive was constituted by party chief Nitin Gadkari, was aimed at galvanising the JD(U)-BJP alliance in the poll-bound state but appeared to have moved in quite the opposite direction.

With stakes high for the party, Gadkari wanted partymen to go the extra mile by trying to be "a self-start engine". 

"Let us not wait for somebody to give orders and instructions. Start working for redressing the grievances of the people. Identify yourself with the masses, empathise with their agonies and aspirations, working in the field", Gadkari said.

As the Bhopal gas tragedy became a major issue putting Congress on the defensive, BJP took the opportunity to attack
Congress.

"Bhopal gas tragedy is the saga of treachery, back-stabbing and betrayal. No words are powerful enough to condemn all those who mishandled this issue," Gadkari said.

On the Naxal menace, the party chief said BJP will support any move by the government to effectively overcome the Maoist threat and "yet the government appears confused and unfocussed".

The executive also deliberated on the Maoist menace in which chief minister of Chhattisgarh Raman Singh and former CM
of Jharkhand Arjun Munda participated.

The executive adopted a resolution charged the Centre with inept handling of the Maoist problem and said India cannot afford to lose the battle as Naxals wanted to "dismantle" the country's parliamentary democracy.

Gadkari accused the government of misusing CBI in Narendra Modi-led Gujarat and of targetting specific state governments.

He demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the working of the premier investigative agency, dubbing it as "Congress Bureau of Intimidation" .

"While the nation is facing innumerable threats to its internal security, government is forcing CBI to work for its political designs. CBI has become a tool of intimidation. The postmortem of its working is necessary", he said.

"The latest revelation by an officer in the context of the Bhopal gas tragedy has reinforced our fear that Congress is continuing this strategy to cow down opponents or to let free from our law their accqaintances--Ottavio Quattrochi and Warren Anderson. This proves that their commitment is not for  the people of India", Gadkari said.

On the ticklish issue of inclusion of caste in census, BJP appeared to have reservations over its decision in its support.

"We believe in a strong nation. We have put forth our view in Parliament," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Taking on the government on price rise issue, the party wondered how the government headed by an economist prime minister could fail to arrest the price spiral.

On foreign policy front, the party asked the government to have a firmer policy emphasising that dialogue with Pakistan was of no use as long as cross-border terrorism continued.

The party chief spoke of a "very disturbing picture" with regard the Chinese incursions into Indian territory.

Gadkari also expressed concern over the economic blockade in Manipur and atrocities against Dalit families in Haryana.