The Hindu Business Line : Vote-on-account soon — BJP recommends elections `as early as possible'

THE National Executive Meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party here on Monday recommended to the Union Government to call for elections to the Lok Sabha as early as possible.

Responding positively to the recommendation, the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, directed the Finance Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, to present a vote-on-account Budget in Parliament at an early date. He expressed the hope that a new Government would be in place at the Centre by April. Parliament is likely to be dissolved after the presentation of the vote-on-account.

The Prime Minister, according to the BJP President, Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu, told the executive meeting that the recent NDA meeting had authorised him to take a final decision about preponing elections. "Now the responsibility is mine. The NDA is ready. The BJP is ready. The hour of deciding has come. The decision can be only one".

Briefing presspersons following the adoption of a political resolution seeking early elections, Mr Naidu said that the party had called upon all its units, workers and sympathisers to gear up for elections in right earnest. If possible, he said, the party would start election campaign from January 23, the birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. BJP would also hold 100 rallies across the country before the election notification.

Stating that the exact dates of the polls would be worked out in consultation with "whomsoever" if necessary, Mr Naidu said that the BJP had, in principle, decided to make development as a major plank to seek people's mandate.

In this regard, the party would be coming out with a vision document. Mr Arun Jaitley had been appointed as the convenor of a committee that was entrusted with the preparation of a vision document for the next five years.

He said that the BJP had decided to go to polls with the NDA partners.

The party would discuss with the NDA allies regarding the contents of the election manifesto.

The feedback the party had received from different parts of the country pointed out that the people thought that the Vajpayee Government had not got sufficient time to accomplish its mission and hence deserved another term.

They were in a mood to give larger mandate to NDA.

Replying to a question, Mr Naidu said that BJP had not given up any issues. "The Ayodhya issue is important. BJP's stand is well known in this regard. The mandir should come up."