NATIONAL POLITICS

BJP: Election Manifesto, 1996

An Agenda for Change

We will abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution, which puts Jammu & Kashmir on a separate and separatist pedestal, for the State's full and final integration with the Union....

The BJP is committed to Article 44 of the Constitution. We will adopt a Uniform Civil Code which will be applicable to every community and foster a common Bharatiya identity, apart from ensuring gender equality. Regressive personal laws will cease to have legal validity.

Shri Rama Mandir at Ayodhya

The BJP is committed to the concept of one nation, one people, one culture our nationalist vision is not merely bound by the geographical or political identity of India, but defined by our ancient cultural heritage. From this belief flows our faith in 'Cultural Nationalism' which is the core of Hindutva. That, we believe, is the identity of our ancient nation - Bharatvarsha.

Hindutva is a unifying principle which alone can preserve the unity and integrity of our nation. It is a collective endeavor to protect and re-energize the soul of India, to take us into the next millennium as a strong and 3. prosperous nation. Hindutva is also the antidote to the shameful efforts of any section to benefit at the expense of others.

We hold that only by recognizing the limitless strength of cultural nationalism, can the nation be molded. When the BJP joined the movement for the construction of the Shri Rama Mandir at Ayodhya, it was to strengthen just these foundations.

On coming to power, the BJP Government will 6. facilitate the construction of a magnificent Shri Rama Mandir at Janmasthan in Ayodhya which will be a tribute to Bharat Mata. This dream moves millions of people in our land; the concept of Rama lies at the core of their consciousness.

Foreign Policy

Pakistan continues to follow a policy of fomenting insurgency, seeking to create instability and unrest in India. The BJP stands committed to thwarting all these attempts. In this context, we state:

(a) The BJP affirms unequivocally India's sovereignty over the whole of Jammu & Kashmir, including Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, and

(b) The BJP declares that it will not accept any interference in our country's internal affairs.

In our relations with Bangladesh, illegal immigrants into India from that country has proved a major irritant. This issue has cast its shadow on our bilateral ties and needs to be resolved early.

Jammu and Kashmir

The absence of political farsightedness and clarity of national objectives has resulted in our nation continuing to have to pay a price even 50 years after Jammu & Kashmir became a part of the Republic. The failure of successive Congress Governments to formulate a Jammu & Kashmir policy that takes into account the State's internal problems has led to a situation where this strategic border State has emerged as the principal challenge to Indian nationhood. The BJP realizes the magnitude of the challenge and dedicates itself to the task of not only solving the internal problems of the State but also reclaiming the portion of our territory which has been illegally held by Pakistan for nearly five decades. Without repeating the mistakes of yesteryears and merely reacting to Pakistan's moves, we will:

1.     Immediate strengthen the civil administration by inducting able and honest administrators.

2.     Provide a free hand to our security forces to deal with the menace of terrorism and induction of men and arms from Pakistan, while ensuring that democratic rights are not violated,

3.     Cleanse the local police and administration of malcontents who have aligned themselves with the terrorists or are pro-Pakistan,

4.     Declare Doda a disturbed area and invoke the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act to prevent this district from becoming a haven for mercenaries and terrorists.

5.     Launch a massive welfare programme for all regions of the State and ensure there is no seepage.

6.     Hold free and fair elections in the State after terrorism has been brought under control and every person, including the Pandits who have been forced out of the Valley, is provided with an opportunity to participate in the polls.

7.     Rehabilitate all persons displaced from terrorism- afflicted areas of Jammu and Kashmir, and

8.     Set up regional councils for Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh.

9.      

Illegal Immigration: Demographic Invasion - A Threat to Our Security

We believe that illegal immigration from our neighboring countries, especially Bangladesh, has a direct impact on our nation's security and has an unsettling effect on our demography. Given the sheer dimension of numbers there are as many as 1.7 crore illegal immigrants, the bulk of them Bangladeshis, living in various parts of the country illegal immigration is not only transforming the geography, but the sociology, the economy, indeed even the politics of this country. India is facing an explosive issue. If our demographic balance is allowed to be disturbed by inept policies and political considerations, various demographic entities are bound to come in conflict, thus adversely affecting our security environment. The invasion of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh has led to an alarming growth in a section of the population in our North-East, in Assam, in West Bengal, parts of Bihar and Delhi. In certain areas, a section of the population has grown by almost 100 percent.

The BJP proposes to:

1.     1 Complete barbed wire fencing along the India- Bangladesh border, beginning with the plains, to prevent infiltrations.

2.     Detect illegal immigrants, delete their names from voters' lists and arrange for their deportation without any further delay.

3.     Declare all property deals between Indians and illegal immigrants as null and void;

4.     Amend immigration rules and other laws to impose stringent checks on illegal entry into India; and

5.     Expedite the issuance of identity cards to all citizens of the country.

Enact a law that will debar those with more than two children from holding elected office, with 1996 as the cut-off year.

Our Minorities

Wherever and whenever the Bharatiya Janata Party has been in power, it has ensured peace and security for all sections of society, irrespective of their religious identity. The BJP is committed to further strengthen this achievement. This is in stark contrast to the insecurity faced by minority communities under Congress rule. We have been steadfastly opposed to appeasement as state policy since it benefits only those sections which profess regressive and retrograde social norms in the guise of protecting their religious beliefs. The BJP will be guided by its policy of justice for all, appeasement of none", A resurgent India will enter the 21st century with the resolve of one nation, one people and one culture. To achieve this goal, we will:

1.     Guarantee all minority communities equal opportunity for economic development:

2.     Lay stress on education and vocational training.

3.     Provide incentives to those who are self-employed, especially artisans, and those who want to set up their own business enterprise.

4.     Launch community programmes to create awareness among women members of minority communities;

5.     Ensure equality for all and discrimination against none on grounds of religion in matters of education by amending Article 30;

6.     Disband the Minorities Commission and entrust its responsibilities to the National Human Rights Commission; Set up special courts for speedy trial of those accused of participating in communal riots.

7.     Protect wakf property from being usurped and misused by unscrupulous individuals and organisations and help wakf boards to become self- sustaining bodies so that they do not have to be dependent on Government doles:

8.     Set up trusts along the line of the Tirupati Temple Trust with official nominees for managing the affairs of dargahs;

9.     Ensure that no religious property is misused or usurped;

10.  Ban all foreign funds irrespective of the organization which is the recipient.

11.  Make fraudulent conversions, including those done by holding out the promise of economic or social benefits, a punishable offence and introduce a system of registering all conversions,

12.  Ban the publication of job advertisements that mention religious identity as a criterion, and

13.  Set up a Commission of Inquiry (similar to the Neogi Commission) to inquire into the activities of foreign missionaries and other organisations that have been receiving foreign funds.

Shahabuddin's Letter to Chandra Shekhar On Bhondsi Conclave, 20 February, 1996

I thank you for including me in the invitation list for the proposed meeting at Bhondsi on 24-25 February, 1996. However, I find that the meeting is co-sponsored by a prominent leader of the Sangh Parivar. In my view, the Sangh Parivar has been constantly endeavoring, in various ways, to obtain respectability, over losing its pernicious ideology. At least for them, the Bhondsi meet appears to be a part of such an exercise.

You are aware of the deep respect I hold for you and while I am at your personal back and call at any time, I regret my inability to join you at Bhondsi for this meeting.