BJP's new agenda: Afzal, minority policy, Ram Setu

Tue, Jan 29 01:25 AM

New Delhi: With the leadership issues settled, it's time to focus on the task ahead.

The poll preparations in election-bound states and organisational reforms within the party as the first step, the BJP National Council has ratified a proposal to reserve one-third of the total seats within the organisation for women.

But the all-powerful party parliamentary board has been kept out of the purview of this new rule.

"Since the government has not been able to introduce the Women's Reservation Bill, we have decided to start reforms within the party," senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj said about the new quota initiative in the party setup.

The year 2008 will be a crucial year in national politics with 10 states going to polls. And both the Congress and the BJP are going all out to woo the masses.

For election preparations, it's clear that the saffron brigade is pushing for a modified Hindutva agenda - Ayodhya, Kashmir and Uniform Civil Code have been replaced by Afzal, minority appeasement and the Ram Setu controversy.

"Communal budgeting will encourage conversion," Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said.

It's for the first time that the BJP National Council is meeting with LK Advani at the helm and also in command in the absence of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. And, for once, it looked as if the BJP has now settled its inner turmoil and is going to the polls as a cohesive unit.

(With Divyamanu Chaudhry and Sumit Pande)

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