Kalyan's hand not ruled out in cross-voting: Sushma

NAGPUR, APRIL 1. The BJP leader, Mrs. Sushma Swaraj, today alleged that the former Chief Minister, Mr. Kalyan Singh, could have influenced the cross-voting by BJP legislators in the Rajya Sabha biennial election in Uttar Pradesh earlier this week.

``There were many other considerations, but looking to the experience and capabilities of Mr. Kalyan Singh, this could be just one of the factors leading to cross-voting,'' Mrs. Swaraj, who has been elected to the Upper House from U.P., said at a meet-the-press programme here. Money power also played a major role in the election, Mrs. Swaraj said.

Describing the cross-voting as ``most unfortunate'' and a ``matter for concern for all political parties in the country,'' Mrs. Swaraj supported the Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani's suggestion for open voting in the Rajya Sabha elections. Mrs. Swaraj said there was no cross-voting in her case and she got the number of first preference votes allocated to her.

She expressed the hope that the Election Commission's meeting with political parties would pave the way for curbing cross- voting. Dismissing reports about her succeeding Mr. Kushabhau Thakre as the BJP president, Mrs. Swaraj said there was no reason for replacing the former.

Favouring another term for Mr. Thakre, she said the BJP had won two elections under his presidentship. It was under Mr. Thakre's leadership that the BJP won two Lok Sabha elections, she remarked and said Mr. Thakre's desire to relinquish the post was out of his modesty. She made it clear that she was neither keen about the party chief's post nor was sounded about it.

Replying to a question, she denied that she had, at any stage sympathised with Mr. Kalyan Singh's campaign against the party leadership. She had merely called for an introspection within the party as to why Mr. Singh, once a hero in the party, went against it.

Ms. Swaraj said the BJP had no hidden agenda in seeking review of the Constitution. The issue was included in the common agenda of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The Congress was talking about the hidden agenda out of its phobia for the BJP, she claimed.

Replying to a question over differences within the NDA partners over hike in cooking gas and kerosene prices, she said it was a collective decision and there was no threat at all to the Vajpayee Government on this score.

Ms. Swaraj said the visit of the American President, Mr. Bill Clinton, has had a positive impact on Indo-American relations. She dismissed as mere media speculation the differences between the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee and newly-appointed RSS chief, Mr. K.S. Sudershan.

- PTI, UNI

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