BJP turns heat on state government
With less than two years to go for the assembly elections in the state, the BJP has hit the streets against the policies of the Congress-NCP government.
By TNN |
MUMBAI: With less than two years to go for the assembly elections in the state, the BJP has hit the streets against the policies of the Congress-NCP government.
Gopinath Munde, BJP’s star campaigner in Maharashtra, on Thursday set the tone for the party’s two-way strategy with a public rally at Azad Maidan that culminated in the arrest of the leader and several BJP workers. The BJP wants to take the lead in mobilising support against the Congress-NCP government, while, at the same time, cautioning its alliance partner Shiv Sena.
The BJP took out similar protest rallies at several places across the state, including Aurangabad in Marathwada, where state unit president Nitin Gadkari led the charge.
The BJP has made no bones about the fact it is the approaching elections that has forced it to up the ante against the “corrupt, inept, inefficient and insensitive” rule of the Congress-NCP alliance. While the former deputy chief minister has set his sights on the 2009 assembly polls, the other BJP satraps on the dais — from Pramod Mahajan’s daughter Poonam Rao-Mahajan to former MP Ram Naik —referred to Mr Munde as the next chief minister. Apparently, it was more of a signal to the Shiv Sena than to the DF government.
Finally, minor scuffles between BJP supporters and the police led to the arrest of some party workers and Mr Munde, much to the liking of the party. A seasoned practitioner of mass politics, Mr Munde promptly threw himself into the midst of the crowd, while he was only midway through the speech.
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After a lot of drama and sloganeering against home minister RR Patil, the BJP leader returned to the dais to complete his speech even as BJP workers continued to court arrest. Mr Munde then gave a call to lead the procession to August Kranti ground, but the police arrested him along with other BJP leaders. By setting off its campaign in style, the BJP has also scored over the Shiv Sena, which has largely failed to take up issues against the government. The BJP’s tussle with the Shiv Sena was reflected in the rally as speaker after speaker hailed Mr Munde as the next CM. In the BJP-Sena seat-sharing formula, the BJP gets to contest lesser number of seats. But in advertising Mr Munde for the top job, the BJP seems to have decided to talk tough with the Sena.
In his speech, Mr Munde attacked the state government’s “anti-slum dweller, and pro-builder policies and its inept handling of the deteriorating law and order situation and the energy crisis”.
Taking cue from the Congress-style populism, Mr Munde said the BJP, if it came to power, would regularise all pre-2000 slums and build houses for all eligible slum-dwellers. The Congress had made a similar promise in its 2004 election manifesto, but Mr Munde reminded the people that the government has not kept the promise.
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