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BJP not to stake its claim

The Bharatiya Janata Party declared today that it will not stake its claim to form a government at the Centre, but at the same time asserted that the party and its allies had ''the maximum capacity to provide a stable and viable government to the country.''

BJP spokesperson Sushma Swaraj released a statement at the end of two party meetings, one of its central office-bearers and the other of leaders of the BJP and its allies.

The statement ridiculed the Congress for having staked its claim to form a government after withdrawing support to the United Front government.

''We are sure that Rashtrapati Bhavan will weigh the pros and cons of the situation carefully and, after consulting us, take a judicious decision in the interest of the nation and of stable governance,'' the BJP statement said.

She also made it clear that the BJP would not extend support to any party to form an alternate government at the Centre. ''It has to be either a BJP-led government or a mid-term poll,'' Swaraj added.

Earlier, BJP president Lal Kishinchand Advani said he was confident that President K R Narayanan would call Atal Bihari Vajpayee, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, before taking any decision.

He recalled the President's assurance to a BJP delegation that he would consult the party before taking any decision. ''We should await the President's call rather than take any decision now,'' Advani added.

''There is no substance in the five-page letter addressed by Congress president Sitaram Kesri to the President, staking his claim to form a government,'' he pointed out.

Central BJP office-bearers met separately in the morning. The 90-minute meeting, presided over by Advani, was attended by former prime minister Vajpayee, leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Sikandar Bakht, party vice-president K L Sharma, general secretaries Pramod Mahajan, Swaraj and deputy leader of the party in the Lok Sabha Jaswant Singh.

The second meeting, held at Vajpayee's home, was attended by Advani, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, Swaraj, Mahajan, the Akali Dal's Surjit Singh Barnala, the Samata Party's George Fernandes, the Shiv Sena's Madhukar Sarpotdar and the Haryana Vikas Party's Surendra Singh.

UNI

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