BJP in damage control mode
Downplaying the bitterness created in the party by senior leader L.K. Advani’s remarks over former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s arrest, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday sought to give credit to itself for maintaining “zero tolerance” against corruption. The party patted itself on the
back for “accepting its weaknesses” and then “correcting them” unlike the Congress which is yet to “take action against its leaders indicted in various scams.”
Mr Advani, who has embarked on a Janchetna Yatra against corruption, on Tuesday had virtually admitted that Mr Yeddyurappa arrest had embarrassed the party, which had even “cautioned” the former Karnataka chief minister about the scams.
Sources disclosed a majority section within the BJP, including its Karnataka unit, was left seething after Mr Advani made these remarks against Mr Yeddyurappa.
The BJP had been refraining from making an direct comments on Mr Yeddyurappa’s arrest in a graft case by claiming that it will have “zero tolerance” against corruption and will fight his cases legally.
There were also reports that Mr Yeddyurappa was “hurt” by Mr Advani’s remarks.
“There has been a desperate bid by the Congress to nail the BJP, especially when Mr Advani’s yatra is against black money and corruption. We as a party are ready to accept our weaknesses and to admonish those who do wrong,” said party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
Insisting that the Bharatiya Janata Party is “committed to the fight against corruption,” the party alleged that while it was prompt enough to take action against its leaders whose names cropped up in corruption cases, the Congress has failed to act against its corrupt leaders. Citing the Comptroller and Auditor General of India reports on the Commonwealth Games and the 2G spectrum allocation issue, the party claimed that action is yet to be taken against Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and home minister P. Chidambaram, respectively.
“... The Congress has nothing to say about Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat on the mining scam or Union minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Vilasrao Deshmukh in the Adarsh Housing Society scam,” Mr Rudy said.
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