LUCKNOW: This is not the first time former chief minister Kalyan Singh has re-entered the Bharatiya Janata Party-having walked out of it thrice-but the initiation one more time was not without rhetoric. "I was born and brought up amidst the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and BJP ideology. When I die, I wish to be consigned to the flames draped in the BJP flag," said a teary-eyed Singh at the Atal Shankhnaad Rally at Jhulelal Park on the banks of Gomti here on Monday.
"It is just a technical reason that is keeping me away from the BJP," he said. Although Kalyan didn't formally join the BJP on Monday as he would have lost his Lok Sabha membership under anti-defection rule, his Rashtriya Kranti Party was merged with the saffron outfit.
His son Rajbir however re-entered his old party and announced: "We are incomplete without the BJP too," with reference to statement of Hukum Singh, the party's leader of opposition in Vidhan Sabha, that the BJP was not complete without Kalyan. Back in form and in tune with the party's ideology, Kalyan took on Samajwadi Party for indulging in minority appeasement and said: "We are not against Muslims. We are against Muslim appeasement," reminding how in 1991, the BJP formed the government with 222 MLAs despite Muslim opposition. P 3
He went on to give a suggestion to the BJP leadership for wider reach. "A chaupal at night in villages once a week will do the trick," said the octogenarian, highlight of the function attended by party's national chief Nitin Gadkari, Dr MM Joshi, two other former CMs-Rajnath Singh of UP and Uma Bharti of Madhya Pradesh- Lucknow MP Lalji Tandon and national vice presidentsKalraj Mishra, Vinay Katiyar and MA Naqvi. Putting a question-mark on the party's claim of unity was the absence of their firebrand MPs Varun Gandhi and Yogi Adityanath. To add irony to the embarrassment, the huge garland meant to encircle all the leaders snapped.
But there was slogan-shouting aplenty, 'Jai Shri Ram' to praise the party idol and a 'Narendra Modi ko laao' to hail their icon, the petulant chant that was deftly changed to 'Narendra Modi zindaabad' by former cabinet minister Shiv Pratap Shukla, who grabbed the mike and saved the day. Kalyan's parting shot was a call to put Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in a lunatic asylum for branding BJP and RSS as terror organisations. This issue was addressed by the party's national chief too. "We demand an apology from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh for Shinde's remark, which shows his intellectual bankruptcy," said Gadkari, giving a slogan: "Hindu-bhagwa (saffron) ka apmaan, nahi sahega Hindustan".
Earlier, at the rally, the party's former national chief Rajnath Singh and Uma Bharti lambasted the UPA and Samajwadi Party (SP) governments for indifference towards the brutal beheading of two Indian soldiers vis-a-vis how the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh compensated and paid to tribute to the state's martyr.
Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde for making remark that BJP and RSS are terror organisation, the former chief minister said: "I think he should be admitted in a good lunatic asylum."
More than the BJP's political strength, it was 'gushy' Kalyan, who touched the chord with the teeming crowd The teary-eyed Kalyan Singh and his effusive recall of his 'blow hot blow cold' relationship with BJP was enough to move the audience.
The leader, who has thrice walked in and out of the party confessed he has been "born and brought up" in Rashtriya Swayemsewak Sangh and BJP culture and it's still impossible for him to have an existence beyond the party. The leader, who turned almost inconsolable as he walked down the memory lane, made a confession that he cherishes a wish, the last and the most ardent one -- to be consigned to flames draped in the BJP's flag.
Also present on the dais was his son and Rashtriya Kranti Party chief Rajbir Singh, whose resurrection has been one of Kalyan Singh's priorities, as claimed by the BJP insiders. Before, Kalyan, Rajbir declared merger of Rashtriya Kranti Party into BJP. The declaration was reciprocated by state BJP chief Laxmikant Bajpayi when he accepted the merger.
Already surcharged, the crowd was further enthused when the former temple movement poster boy of the BJP resorted to Hindutva rehtoric coated with saffron outfits' old yet familiar Jai Sri Ram chants. Not the first one though.
Earlier, national vice-president Vinay Katiyar, whose speech was the shortest, only requested the gathering to chant 'jai Sri Ram, jai jai Sri Ram' with him. As the crowd followed him, he further urged the gathering to spread the slogan throughout the state and ended his address there leaving all surprised.
Striking emotional chord among the BJP cadres, Kalyan's first speech from BJP dais since 2009 marked the end of four-year-old hiatus from the saffron party.
"It's just a technical reason that has kept me away from BJP for the time being," badly coughing Kalyan said and went on to give a mantra of success to the BJP leadership. "A chaupal night at villages one a week and the battle is half won," the octogenarian leader said amidst swigs of water intermittently.
Listening to his words of advice was national BJP chief Nitin Gadkari, his predecessors Dr MM Joshi and Rajnath Singh. Also sharing the dais with them was sadhvi Uma Bharti, Lucknow MP Lalji Tandon and national vice presidents Kalraj Mishra, Vinay Katiyar and MA Naqvi.
Amidst claims of unity by the BJP leaders at the rally, firebrand MPs Varun Gandhi and Yogi Adityanath, who had confirmed their presence, were conspicuous by their absence. This obviously led to whispers among the party cadres even as a huge garland meant to encircle all the prominent leaders broke at the same time further making many think if it does reflect the weak nature of a "united BJP".
Other than Kalyan, if anything else invited more attention was regular chant -- 'Narendra Modi lao' -- by a section of crowd, forcing convenor for the rally and former cabinet minister Shiv Pratap Shukla to join the chorus from mike -- 'Narendra Modi zindabaad'. Only then the over enthusiastic supporters of Modi decided to keep quiet.
Hitting out at Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde for making remark that BJP and RSS are terror organisation, the former chief minister said: "I think he should be admitted in a good lunatic asylum." Taking on Samajwadi Party for indulging in minority appeasement, Kalyan said: "We are not against Muslims. We are against Muslim appeasement," he said. As if corroborating the stance, Kalyan said that in 1991, the BJP formed the government with 222 MLAs from party winning despite Muslim opposition.
Taking from where Kalyan had left on Shinde, party chief Nitin Gadkari announced the party has decided to hold nationwide protests against home minister's charge on January 24. "We demand an apology from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh for Shinde's remark, which only speaks of his mental bankruptcy," said Gadkari, coining the slogan - 'Hindu-bhagwa ka apmaan, nahi sahega Hindustan'..
Earlier former national BJP chief Rajnath Singh and senior BJP leader and former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Uma Bharti lambasted the UPA and Samajwadi Party (SP) governments for being indifferent on the brutal beheading of two Indian soldiers and the difference in approach of the two governments - the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and the SP in UP.
Even earlier, Rajbir Singh, the national chief of RKP and son of Kalyan Singh referring to Leader of BJP in Vidhan Sabha Hukkum Singh's statement that the BJP was incomplete without Kalyan Singh, added: "Even we were incomplete without BJP".
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