New Delhi, August 29: The national shame episode on 22nd July 2008 at trust votethe three BJP members in front of electronic news channels showed Rs 10 million worth bundles which they claimed were offered bribe to support the government.
Rebelled and expelled BJP leader, Mr. Jaswant Singh on Friday shot a fresh salvo at leader of opposition L K Advani. He said Mr. Advani was at the centre of the cash-for-votes scam drama enacted in the Lok Sabha last year.
Thee party spokesman, Mr. Prakash Javedkar clarified on various news channels and said that it is wrong to blame Mr. L. K. Advani for the Kandhar episode and the decision to free the terrorists was a collective one.
Prakash further added that Jaswant Singh’s charge on Advani’s alleged involvement in cash for votes scam is not true.
Mr. Jaswant Singh said the facts too clear,as he stumbled on to the whole thing when a very strange looking fellow was brought to his house by Sudheendra Kulkarni, a former aide of Mr. Advani.“I was not consulted but I was appalled that Advaniji was giving the MPs the go ahead to display money in Parliament,” he said adding that Mr. Advani had two choices — either to take the money to the Speaker or into the House. But he told the MPs to display the money in Parliament.Mr. Jaswant Singh said a sordid matter of great sadness that Mr. Advani had singularly failed in his function as a leader to lead. A leader to lead by example and not through diktats, vague and unspecified insinuations and fears.
Sudheendra Kulkarni said in news channel that he was not the master ind but the top leader of BJP is involved. The Parliamentary Committee report also indicts Kulkarni saying that he was not just the mastermind but facilitated the bribe drama.
In Press release to Press trust of India,BJP today countered expelled leader Jaswant Singh’s contention that the cash-for-vote sting operation was orchestrated by the party and said its MPs had only co-operated with a news channel to expose the corrupt practice.
“The charges of Jaswant Singh in a magazine suggest that the cash-for-vote was a BJP orchestrated campaign. We stoutly deny that. It was a campaign organised by the ruling party and its allies,” BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
“It was a sting operation carried out to expose this deal by one news channel in which our brave MPs definitely co-operated with the channel. Had it been telecast when the Trust Vote was being discussed, there would have been a different result of it. But unfortunately it could not be relayed that day,” he explained. Reports PTI
Late evening RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has expressed confidence BJP will rise from the ashes the crisis ridden Bharatiya Janata Party which has worked out formula in which Advani may be elevated as chairman Parliamentary and Jaitley takes over as BJP chief and Sushma be name leader of opposition.
He said the BJP is perfectly capable of overcoming its problems and refused to interfere in its affairs. Speaking at crowded press conference in New Delhi yesterday, Mr Bhagwat, however, said it is for the BJP to decide on the leadership issue. He also spoke in favour of generational change in the party. Late in the evening,Venkaiah Naidu, Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar and Sushma Swaraj of Advani camp had met Mr Bhagwat at Keshav Kunj late on Friday night.
With the party plagued with a severe unity in identity crisis, a change in the organisational structure considered inevitable and four senior BJP leaders – Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Ananth Kumar and Venkaiah Naidu met Mr Bhagwat to resolve top party posts. After holding discussions with him for almost two hours, they drove to the residence of the leader of the opposition Mr L.K Advani. Mr Venkaiah later dismissed the speculation that the succession issue was discussed. Blame game continues with Jaswant Singh, LK Advani,Narender Modi,Vinay Katiyar,Yashwant Sinha,Brijesh Mishra and Arun shourie.
–PTI–