'National Democratic Front' still under consideration, says BJP

A National Democratic Front led by the Bharatiya Janata Party was an idea still under consideration by the party, BJP general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu said in Hyderabad on Monday.

The idea had actually been mooted by some of the BJP's allies, Naidu said, reacting to reports from Lucknow which quoted senior BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee as hinting at such a front.

These allies had suggested that the BJP take the initiative to form a front comprising the Samata party, the Shiromani Akali Dal, the Haryana Vikas Party and the Shiv Sena in the event of a mid-term poll.

If such a front was forged, the allies would form part of the government. There was "no question of seeking outside support as it was more dangerous," he said, in an obvious reference to withdrawal of Congress support to the UF government.

Naidu said the Bahujan Samaj Party with which, the BJP is running a coalition government in Uttar Pradesh, had indicated that it would support the BJP at the Centre and had also voted with it in the no-confidence motion against the Deve Gowda government.

The BJP would positively consider any proposal from non-Congress parties and negotiate with them to evolve any common minimum programme, he said.

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