<P> The official ideology of the BJP is "integral humanism", first formulated by Deendayal Upadhyaya in 1965 . The party expresses a commitment to Hindutva, and its policy has historically reflected Hindu nationalist positions . The BJP advocates social conservatism and a foreign policy centred on nationalist principles . Its key issues have included the abrogation of the special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the building of a Ram temple in Ayodhya and the implementation of a uniform civil code . However, the 1998--2004 NDA government did not pursue any of these controversial issues . It instead focused on a largely liberal economic policy prioritising globalisation and economic growth over social welfare . </P> <P> The BJP's origins lie in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, popularly known as the Jana Sangh, founded by Syama Prasad Mookerjee in 1951 in response to the politics of the dominant Congress party . It was founded in collaboration with the Hindu nationalist volunteer organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and was widely regarded as the political arm of the RSS . The Jana Sangh's aims included the protection of India's "Hindu" cultural identity, in addition to countering what it perceived to be the appeasement of Muslim people and the country of Pakistan by the Congress party and then - Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru . The RSS loaned several of its leading pracharaks, or full - time workers, to the Jana Sangh to get the new party off the ground . Prominent among these was Deendayal Upadhyaya, who was appointed General Secretary . The Jana Sangh won only three Lok Sabha seats in the first general elections in 1952 . It maintained a minor presence in parliament until 1967 . </P> <P> The Jana Sangh's first major campaign, begun in early 1953, centred on a demand for the complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir into India . Mookerjee was arrested in May 1953 for violating orders from the state government restraining him from entering Kashmir . He died of a heart attack the following month, while still in jail . Mauli Chandra Sharma was elected to succeed Mookerjee; however, he was forced out of power by the RSS activists within the party, and the leadership went instead to Upadhyaya . Upadhyay remained the General Secretary until 1967, and worked to build a committed grassroots organisation in the image of the RSS . The party minimised engagement with the public, focusing instead on building its network of propagandists . Upadhyaya also articulated the philosophy of integral humanism, which formed the official doctrine of the party . Younger leaders, such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani also became involved with the leadership in this period, with Vajpayee succeeding Upadhyaya as president in 1968 . The major themes on the party's agenda during this period were legislating a uniform civil code, banning cow slaughter and abolishing the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir . </P> <P> After assembly elections across the country in 1967, the party entered into a coalition with several other parties, including the Swatantra Party and the socialists . It formed governments in various states across the Hindi heartland, including Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh . It was the first time the Jana Sangh held political office, albeit within a coalition; this caused the shelving of the Jana Sangh's more radical agenda . </P>

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