By IANS
New Delhi : Former prime minister and veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who has been away from political limelight of late, Thursday urged the people of Nagaland to vote the party to power in the March 5 assembly elections.
The message, issued jointly with L.K. Advani, came as a surprise to many as Vajpayee has virtually been in political hibernation for the last few months. He did not even attend his birthday celebrations on Dec 25 or take part in the party’s national executive and national council meeting held in New Delhi in January.
He, however, had issued similar appeals to voters in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh when the two states went to the polls in December.
BJP general secretary in charge of Nagaland Rajiv Pratap Rudy said: “There is nothing surprising. He is our beloved leader and guide.
“He is popular in Nagaland. He had sanctioned a package of Rs.1,050 crore (Rs.10.50 billion) to Nagaland when he was prime minister,” Rudy added.
Vajpayee and Advani reminded the voters of development works taken up in the state by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government from 1998 to 2004.
Their statement promised to safeguard “the overwhelming desire among Naga people for a permanent peace with honour, dignity and respect for Naga history and culture” if the BJP is elected to power.
“Peace is a precondition for development. Without development, there can be no employment. The BJP’s goal, both in Nagaland and in the rest of India, is to remove poverty, social disparities and regional imbalances, and enhance the quality of life of all citizens, irrespective of their religious, ethnic or linguistic affiliations,” the statement said.
With Vajpayee’s failing health, Advani has been at the helm of party affairs for the last few months. His role became more pronounced since he was declared the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate in early December.
In Nagaland, BJP was part of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN), which ruled the state till the central government imposed president’s rule Jan 3. Of the seven BJP legislators in the 60-member assembly, two were ministers in the Neiphiu Rio government.