Our Correspondent

Phagwara, April 24

The Bahujan Samaj Party supremo, Mr Kanshi Ram, yesterday alleged that the NDA government was not serious about national security. It had been proved by the brutal killings of 16 BSF personnel by Bangladesh Rifles at the Pyrdiwah border outpost, he said.

Addressing a press conference here yesterday, Mr Kanshi Ram said after Kargil, the government had again been caught napping at Pyrdiwah. After Nepal, Bangladesh, the only peaceful border with India, had also become tense. The NDA government, he said, was heading towards failure on all fronts.

He asserted that the judicial probe into the Tehelka episode was not likely to be impartial and suggested the setting up of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the scandal.

He criticised the Congress for stalling parliamentary proceedings. Open debate was the only way to go into the Tehelka expose, he added.

He disagreed that the Congress-NDA stand-off would lead to the fall of the NDA government. “Even Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had dared the Opposition to move a no-confidence motion against his government” he said. The BSP president ruled out snap poll in Punjab.

The BSP President ruled out snap poll in Punjab Calling Bahujan Samaj (society) an alliance in itself, Mr Kanshi Ram ruled out joining any third front in Punjab in the forthcoming poll. “If I can manage and add just 2 per cent votes of other categories to the SC votes, the BSP will win 25 seats in the Doaba region and wield the balance of power” he said. His party was very keen on contesting the SGPC poll slated for November, he added.

The BSP supremo talked along the same lines at public meetings at Goraya and Hadiabad near here.