BJP vice-president and State in-charge for Himachal Pradesh, Balbir Punj on Thursday accused Congress of communalising election campaign in Centre and States by meeting several religious heads and seeking votes from specific communities.
“Congress rakes the issues of 2002 Gujarat riots or Ayodhya issue while BJP talked about development, anti-corruption and inflation. Now, Congress is trying hard to communalise the electioneering by seeking votes from specific communities,” he said.
Punj said Sonia Gandhi had recently met Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid to gather support for Congress aiming at polarisation of votes, before the filing of nomination papers of Shimla Parliamentary constituency candidate, Virendra Kashyap.
On the question that BJP national president Rajnath Singh also met Muslim clerics, Punj clarified that they were electors of his constituency, since he was contesting poll from lucknow, so he was meeting everyone. He said, “BJP does not believe in communalism but Congress does in every election.”
Punj also predicted that BJP for the first time in the election history of country would get more votes than Congress which would hit the lowest ever tally in terms of seats. “Before this, percentage of votes polled to BJP was never more than that of Congress but this time we will get more votes than ruling party,” he claimed.
Replying to the question of BJP’s propaganda of dislodging State Government after change of power in Delhi, he said BJP was never interested to dislodge any democratically elected Government but there would be free and fair probe after NDA comes to power in Delhi and Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh will have to resign.
“If free and fair probe had been held so far, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh would have been removed,” he said, adding that the “case against Singh is open and shut case of corruption and any independent probe would result in his resignation.” Talking about allies in southern States, he said BJP was in best position in southern States while no one was ready to join hands with Congress.