'No post-poll alignment'
BJP President M Venkaiah Naidu ruled out realignment of political forces after the Lok Sabha elections.
BJP President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday ruled out realignment of political forces after the Lok Sabha elections.
"There is no question of realignment of forces, even if the people threw a hung parliament," he told a press conference here.
Asked specifically if the erstwhile partners of NDA from Tamil Nadu would be readmitted after the polls, he said the question did not arise.
He likened exit and opinion polls to the trailors of the films, which were yet to be released. "These will help the people understand the forces of instability," he said.
Naidu alleged that the Congress was attempting to aviod an important question raised by the BJP on the "moral validity" of its alliance with the DMK after withdrawing support to the Gujaral Ministry, levelling grave charges against the DMK over the Rajiv Gandhi assassination.
"There is still a day left for the Congress to answer this important question. Its failure to do so would amount to admission of its guilt to our charge that it had indulged in immoral and unprincipled politics," he said.
The Congress was telling a "white lie" to the people of the country that it gave a clean chit to DMK after the final report of the Jain Commission absolved it, he said.
He said Congress spokesman Kapil Sibal, in August 1999, four months after the Commission had filed its final report, told the Rajya Sabha that Justice Jain had not absolved DMK of any charges and infact wanted action against the party.
Venkaiah Naidu said several Congress leaders, including Pranab Mukherjee and Sibal had submitted a memorandum to Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, demanding action against Karunanidhi and other DMK leaders, much after the final report of the Jain commission was presented.
He, however, said BJP never subscribed to the view that DMK had links with the assassins of Gandhi as alleged by the Congress earlier.
Asked whether Vajpayee's remarks at a public meeting here that the people should keep away local issues from the Lok Sabha polls amounted to admission that anti-incumbency factor worked in Tamil Nadu, Naidu said it should not be taken in that sense. The elections were to Lok Sabha and the question before the people was who should be the Prime Minister either Vajpayee or a question mark, he said.
Asserting that the NDA would get an absolute majority in the polls, he said TINA (there is no alternative) and TITA (Terrible is the alternative) factors worked in favour of the alliance.