BJP will not soften its stance in election

In India, the leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, Lal Krishna Advani, has said his party won't soften its ideology to try to attract the support of the minorities.

He said the BJP wouldn't change its stance on such issues as Ayodhya, or the check of illegal immigration from Bangladesh.

And he claimed the Muslim community was changing its attitude to the BJP -- believing it should be given a chance to form a federal government.

Mr Advani was speaking at the launch of the BJP's election campaign in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service