Chindwara (Madhya Pradesh): Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna
Advani has called for mutual dialogue between Hindus and
Muslims for the settlement of the contentious temple-mosque
row. Advani, who is on a chariot ride criss-crossing the
country as part of campaigning for polls beginning next
month, told a rally that the BJP is committed to Ram temple
but would like a peaceful solution with minority Muslims.
Earlier,
Advani's chariot drove into Sonsar where the saffron clad
state Chief Minister Uma Bharti, another strong campaigner
for the Ram temple, addressed a public meeting with him.
A similar chariot ride by Advani in the early nineties to
campaign for Ram temple, culminated in the destruction of
the mosque by Hindu zealots in December 1992. About 3,000
people were killed after the mosque's destruction in some
of India's worst Hindu-Muslim riots. Ayodhya has since been
a focus for tensions between Hindus and Muslims, like in
Gujarat where over a thousand people were killed two years
ago. Hindu fanatics claim the mosque was built by Muslim
invaders after destroying a Ram temple on the site of his
birth.
Election:
BJP's third list has 53 candidates (Go
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New
Delhi: The BJP today announced a list of 53 candidates
for the Lok Sabha polls while deciding against fielding
former Union Minister Dhananjay Kumar from Karnataka. "The
BJP parliamentary board finalised a third list of 53 candidates
in ten states. Besides candidates for five Assembly seats
in UP, 15 in Orissa and 125 in Karnataka were also finalised",
party general secretary Pramod Mahajan told reporters here.
Mahajan said former Union Minister Ananth Kumar would contest
from Bangalore (south) and no one from the state would be
projected as party's Chief Minister candidate. "CM would
be decided after the elections", he said. Following is the
number of candidates announced today for various states:
Andhra Pradesh-5, Karnataka-20, Uttar Pradesh-12, Punjab-
1, Kerala-6, Maharashtra-1, Chhattisgarh-2, Arunachal Pradesh-2,
Bihar-2 and Uttaranchal-2.
Astrology:
Politicians make a beeline for consultation (Go
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Bangalore:
Scores of worried politicians across India are making
a beeline to consult astrologers seeking special prayers
and remedies to ensure their success in the upcoming general
elections. And it is not only astrologers, but fortune-tellers,
palmists and sooth-sayers of all kinds, who are literally
minting money with this sudden rush of eager politicians.
In
Bangalore, Syrian astrologers, Naval Gani and her mother,
are receiving a torrent of advice-seekers, and not surprisingly,
most of them are politicians. Renowned for their unique
method of prediction, by studying coffee patterns on a coffee
cup, the mother-daughter duo predicted that though the forthcoming
polls would see Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee back
in the saddle, he would have to face a lot of hardships
in order to consolidate his position. "Seven months is a
tough time for him, he needs to work systematically and
very properly. When he is focussed, he can really win his
way through, and he should coordinate properly with other
leaders like Sonia Gandhi, it will be very good," said Naval
Gani.
Celebrated
astrologer Daivajna Somayaji seemed confident of Vajpayee's
victory, but expressed doubts over the completion of his
term. "Vajpayee will become Prime Minister once again. He
may not complete the full term, but he will be Prime Minister
once again, no doubt," said Somayaji.
Sooth-sayers
are not the only ones to predict victory for Vajpayee-led
ruling coalition, the NDA, or National Democratic Alliance
in the upcoming polls. Opinion polls have also predicted
an easy victory for the Vajpayee government. The best monsoon
in a decade has encouraged Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP)-led coalition to call for early elections, six months
ahead of schedule. The coalition is cashing in on the growth
rate of more than eight percent in the year to the end of
March, a booming economy, and peace initiatives with Pakistan.
