Kalyan floats new party
Changes stand on Hindutva

LUCKNOW, Dec 10 (UNI) — Expelled BJP leader Kalyan Singh today announced the formation of a new outfit and categorically stated that he was dissociating himself from the RSS and the Ram Temple movement.

Addressing a crowded press conference, a day after his expulsion from the BJP, the former Chief Minister said all formalities regarding the name and registration with the Election Commission would be completed “very soon”. Detailing his agenda, Mr Kalyan Singh said his party would present a new concept of “social engineering,” according top priority to the uplift of the deprived classes.

Mr Kalyan Singh remained non committal on inviting or extending support to any political party in the assembly elections.

Claiming that the assembly elections in UP would be held along with Bihar elections in March, he said his party would contest all 425 seats and the search for suitable candidates had already begun.

To a question about the fate of the Ram Prakash Gupta ministry, Mr Kalyan Singh said he had no intention to topple the government as it would “fall on its own” in the near future.

On his relations with the RSS having turned sour due to his open criticism of its leadership, he shot back “Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee is the leader of the BJP and not of the RSS. I have never criticised the RSS leadership”. He said that he was dissociating himself from the RSS because it had already disowned him. “I refuse to be tied down by one sided loyalty towards the RSS,” said a defiant Mr Kalyan Singh while asserting that he would continue to be “Ram Bhakta”.

On the Ram Temple movement, he said the movement is led by saints, the VHP and the RSS. They should ask Mr Vajpayee and the BJP leadership why the issue had been dropped. “The RSS family was trying to snatch the credit of the Ram Temple movement from me and I am obliging them by denouncing it,” he added.

Mr Kalyan Singh said he would campaign against the BJP in Bihar with a view to destroying the party. Asked if he would support the RJD or some other party, he said his first aim was that the BJP lost there. Whoever wins would be seen later.

Mr Kalyan Singh claimed that there was a strong reaction among the BJP rank and file in 85 parliamentary and 425 assembly constituencies in the state following “wrong” decision of the party to expel him. “There is a spate of resignations of the BJP workers in his favour,” he claimed.

He said a large number of party workers had today resigned in Lucknow, the parliamentary constituency of Mr Vajpayee. “It is clear that Mr Vajpayee has lost faith of the party workers hence he should resign and recontest the Lok Sabha election,’’ he demanded.  

Mr Kalyan Singh released a copy of the aims and objectives of his new party saying it should be taken as the “policy statement’’ of his new outfit.

He sought to appeal to all the legislators of the BJP to evaluate the present political situation and social equations and then decide under whose face they would contest the next elections.

He said the BJP strength in the UP Assembly would be reduced from 176 to 42 to 40 in the next elections. “Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee is responsible for this situation,’’ he alleged, adding at that said the BJP would have to meet the same fate in other states also.

When asked about the support from the sitting BJP legislators he had been assured of, the former Chief Minister said, “Talks are going on with so many’’.

Elaborating on his party’s ideology he said it would be based upon the wider concept of Hindutva but it would welcome all religions, caste or creeds in it. “The wider concept of Hindutva does not mean opposition of minorities,’’ he clarified.

He said his party would also support the separate reservation for the women of the Scheduled Caste, the Scheduled Tribes and the Backward Classes besides the normal 33 per cent reservation to them in Parliament. “I also demand the constitutional amendment to bring the Jats in the reservation purview as well as to make provisions of the reservation for economically backwards from high castes,’’ he added.