DATE=8/26/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT(L-ONLY)
TITLE=INDIA / POLITICS / L-O
NUMBER=2-253133
BYLINE=ANJANA PASRICHA
DATELINE=NEW DELHI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: In India, the two main political parties
contending in upcoming general elections are making
the recent Islamic insurgency in Kashmir a key
campaign issue. Anjana Pasricha reports from New
Delhi, the coalition led by Hindu nationalists is
expected by some analysts to make major gains in the
elections, because of its handling of the Kashmir
crisis.
Text: Leaders of the ruling Hindu Nationalist
coalition and the opposition Congress Party are
projecting the country's recent military offensive
against Pakistan-backed guerrillas as either a major
victory or a massive failure. The conflict in Kashmir
ended last month, after India fought a two-month
battle to evict Islamic guerrillas from the Himalayan
Mountains.
The conflict became a campaign issue after recent
opinion polls indicated the coalition led by the
Bharatiya Janata party is heading for victory --
riding on the government's recent success in the
operation against the guerrillas.
Hindu nationalists are calling Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee a war hero. They describe his
handling of the Kashmir crisis as the government's
major achievement.
On the other hand, the main opposition Congress Party
leader -- Sonia Gandhi -- is blaming the government
for not detecting the intrusions by guerrillas and for
leading the country into an expensive military
offensive. Starting her campaign in the northern
Punjab State, she said the government is responsible
for the deaths of scores of army soldiers, by not
being more vigilant.
Political analyst Pran Chopra says -- even though the
Kashmir crisis has been resolved -- the issue has
caught the public imagination and become a key issue
for voters.
/// CHOPRA ACTUALITY///
The Government is able to claim a fair amount of
mileage out of it and that is what has made the
opposition more worried about it and that is what has
made this an issue in the elections, as well as an
issue in the public consciousness.
///END ACTUALITY///
Indian newspapers say the Kashmir issue has become the
center of many election rallies. The "Times of India"
says the prime minister "plays the Kashmir card to the
hilt" in his election campaigning. The "Indian
Express" says the Congress and the B-J-P are
"hardselling" their versions on the conflict.
Recent opinion polls show Mr. Vajpayee's coalition,
projected to win more than 320 seats in India's 545-
seat lower house -- enough to form a government, on
its own. The polls indicate the Congress Party will
trail behind, with about 138 seats. According to the
polls, the ruling alliance is gaining because of what
they call the "feel good" factor in the nation, after
the Islamic guerrillas were successfully evicted.
(signed)
NEB / wd / wd
26-Aug-1999 06:17 AM LOC (26-Aug-1999 1017 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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