Thaindian News

New Delhi, June 23 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday said it wanted the alliance with the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) in Bihar to continue but said it would not accept “any conditions” set by their ally or compromise on their self-respect.
“The issue will be resolved soon. We want the alliance to continue and work for the welfare of people of the state,” party spokesman Prakash Javadekar said here.

Asked about suggestions by some JD-U leaders that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and party MP Varun Gandhi should not campaign for assembly polls in Bihar later this year, Javadekar said the BJP will not accept any such condition.

“No such demand had been made. And if such a demand is made, we will not accept it. Ours is an independent party,” he said.

The BJP is a junior partner in the JD(U)-led government in Bihar.

Senior party leader M. Venkaiah Naidu earlier told reporters: “As per media reports, about all these demands by the JD-U… Nobody has put any conditions and we will not accept any conditions set by JD-U. We will decide who will campaign in Bihar,” Naidu said.

Naidu said that party was very hurt by Nitish Kumar returning the Rs.5 crore to Gujarat. “It is unfortunate. The money was not Modi’s, it was from the people of Gujarat for the people of Bihar.”

Upset over advertisements featuring him along with Modi and referring to the aid provided by Gujarat during the 2008 Kosi floods, Nitish Kumar June 19 returned the Rs.5 crore that had been given as aid.

BJP president Nitin Gadkari had met party leaders from Bihar late Tuesday to ascertain their views on the alliance with JD-U. The party said a final decision on the alliance will be taken by its central leadership by Thursday.

BJP spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain told IANS that the party wishes the alliance to continue but it was not willing to compromise on its self-respect.

“BJP wishes for the alliance to continue but not compromising on the party’s self respect. Our state party leaders have made this point clear to the president (Nitin Gadkari) and decision on who should and should not campaign in Bihar is for us (BJP) to decide,” Hussain said.

“There will be another meeting tomorrow led by our president after he returns from Nagpur, we will also meet with the JD-U and then take a call… Our immediate agenda is that a decision should be taken,” Hussain added.