The Bharatiya Janata Party national president Venkaiah Naidu seemed to be throwing the Vajpayee rope to get another term for the sinking BJP in Himachal Pradesh — ‘‘Kendra mein Atal and Himachal mein Dhumal,’’ he said tersely.Naidu chose to speak more on the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for next year instead of the imminent Himachal polls in a meet the press programme organised at the Press Club here today. He did not say whether Prem Kumar Dhumal, the caretaker Chief Minister, would form the next government in Himachal Pradesh in a month’s time from now. Instead, he predicted the BJP’s future in next year’s Lok Sabha elections.A.B. Vajpayee would be the prime minister again if the BJP comes to power, and would continue to run the coalition government at the Centre even if it gets a majority by itself. He predicted over 300 seats for BJP in next years Lok Sabha polls.Answering to a question, he also clarified that Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani will not be the new leader of BJP. ‘‘I being the party president am functioning under Vajpayee’s leadership, Advani has also clarified that he is working under Vajpayee’s leadership and so there is no question of anyone else being projected as the prime minister of the country in the post-Lok Sabha elections due next year.’’On the party’s projection of Gujarat CM Narendra Modi as the mascot for future elections in the country, he said that the parties often use personalities as part of the political strategy and it is true of all parties.Justifying the expansion of the Mayawati Cabinet in Uttar Pradesh, he said it had become a necessity due to the prevailing political situation in the state. He said that BJP-BSP meeting is scheduled for February 14 and 15 on the issue.Naidu also said that there was a need to tackle the problem of conversion and check infiltration. ‘‘While we already have 26 per cent people living below the poverty line, we cannot distribute ration cards to Bangladeshis and Pakistanis living in India.Justifying the use of POTA, he said, ‘‘Congress should not be having problems with it. If Maharastra can have MCOCA (Maharashtra Control for Organised Crime Act and Karnataka KOCA (Karnataka Organised Crime Act), why not a POTA at Delhi?’’He also said that in Jammu and Kashmir, the healing touch policy was needed for the people and not for terrorists and added that human rights should be for the masses. ‘‘In Kashmir, we will have a dialogue as we just had with the North-East separatists, but only with those who want to talk within the ambits of the Constitution.’’He said the dharna staged by Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in front of the PM’s residence and other such acts sour the relations between the Centre and the states.
