Bhopal, December 29: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj claimed here today that the BJP’s reins are not in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s hands.
”Newly-appointed BJP President Nitin Gadkari’s name was not proposed by the RSS. It was proposed by the BJP while the RSS only approved the proposal. The BJP’s relation with RSS is akin to a king and his advisor. The party has always received valuable advice,” she told media persons here.
When it was pointed out that Mr Gadkari — who was unable to lead the BJP to victory in the recent assembly polls in Maharashtra even as head of the party’s state unit — was offered command of the party at national level, Ms Swaraj commented, ”this type of comparison is irrational.”
To another query on Uttar Pradesh-based BJP leader Kalraj Mishra’s reported statement that Mr Gadkari favoured Bharatiya Jan Shakti founder-President Uma Bharti and others returning to the party fold, she claimed that she had not heard any such statement from Mr Gadkari.
The BJP would opt for the role of a ”creative opposition” rather than opposing any issue for the sake of opposing it on the floor of the House. ”The party will support all the policies in the nation’s interest while condemning other policies,” she added.
”I accepted my present responsibility on the condition that Mr L K Advani continues as a parliamentary head of the party. My new responsibility does not absolve me from the responsibility of developing my parliamentary constituency (Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha),” Ms Swaraj said.
She raised in Parliament the issue of low quota allocated for this state vis-a-vis distribution of urea and diammonium phosphate and 53,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser were subsequently allocated.
–Agencies