bjp-l-digest Saturday, August 23 1997 Volume 01 : Number 366
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News, Opinion, Analysis and Publications Digest
Today's Topics
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Advani foresees midterm elections end of year
Helpless against corruption!
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Date: August 20, 1997
Source: The Pioneer
Kalyan to get free hand: Advani
Ajay Singh/New Delhi
BHARATIYA JANATA Party (BJP) president L K Advani is
confident of an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
at the national level in the next Lok Sabha elections
despite BSP chief Kanshi Ram's ambivalence.
Speaking to The Pioneer, Mr Advani said the two parties can
hammer out a working relationship. He said, the exchange of
baton in Uttar Pradesh would be a smooth affair.
Mr Advani sought to set at rest speculation by pointing out
that the party's chief ministerial candidate Kalyan Singh
would have a free hand in the formation of the Ministry
after transition of power.
Mr Advani said he was in constant touch with ministers in
UP and there was no problem in running the Government.
Referring to the long-term prospects of the BJP-BSP
alliance, the BJP president said: "I am optimistic about
it. I have seen that though the alliance is confined to
Uttar Pradesh, in the past three or four months we
(BJP-BSP) have coordinated in by-elections in Delhi, Uttar
Pradesh and in vice presidential elections''.
The BJP president made it clear that epithets like "super
vulture or Cobra" used by BSP chief Kanshi Ram to described
the BJP did offend him. But he said there seemed to have
been a slight toning down in the BSP's approach.
"But you look at the change, such strong epithets were
earlier used about a section of society (upper castes)," Mr
Advani said, adding that while describing the BJP as
"super-vulture", Mr Ram has also described his own party as
"vulture". "This only indicates his style," he remarked.
Mr Advani candidly admitted that the BJP had sought the
dilution of its projection by rivals as anti-Dalit by
forging an alliance with the BSP. "The BJP was not only
projected as anti-Muslim but also anti-Dalit," the BJP
leader said, adding that the BJP-BSP alliance was a
conscious attempt to clear this misgiving not only in UP
but in other parts of the country as well.
He did not attach any political signficance to Mr Kanshi
Ram's reported statement "ruling out" a long-term alliance
with the BSP.
"Even after Mr Ram's statement in Madras, Mr Vajpayee had a
talk with him (Mr Ram)," Mr Advani said. On the BJP's
organisational front, Mr Advani said the party was not
facing serious infighting. He said the controversy in Delhi
would be tackled effectively. In a particular reference to
the rebellious posture struck by former Delhi Chief
Minister Madan Lal Khurana, the BJP president said that it
was not a major issue.
Drawing a parallel with similar infighting within the
Congress, the BJP president said the rebellion by Mamta
Bannerjee at the time plenary session of the Congress was
ignored by the media. "In the BJP's case, any comment of Mr
Khurana becomes news," he said. "This difference is a
compliment to the BJP," he pointed out.
Admitting that the BJP's proximity to power created
problems, Mr Advani said all this was within manageable
limits. He said the leadership was concentrating on the
issue and would devise an effective mechanism to tackle
it.redicting an uncertain political future of the UF
Government, Mr Advani said like the Bofors issue in 1989
elections, the fodder scam would be the core issue in the
coming Lok Sabha elections.
Referring to the proposed "grand alliance" among the
Congress and various constituents of the UF, Mr Advani said
this would make BJP's task easy. "Then we can say all
protectors of the fodder scam have ganged up against the
BJP," he said.
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Title: Helpless against corruption
Author: N K Singh
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: August 4, 1997
To deal with corruption the Government must strengthen the investigating
agencies and allow them the freedom of action.
During the 50 years since independence, we have had great prime ministers
like Nehru and Shastri, and a tyrant like Indira Gandhi. In the golden
jubilee year of Independence, we have now a prime minister who seems
"helpless" in fighting corruption. Prime Minister IK Gujral is widely
known for his high integrity and commitment to certain values in public
life but it is his sense of "helplessness" which is disturbing.
In his recent interview to Home TV, Gujral said he knew of no magic wand to
route out corruption. Inter-alia, he said, "Let us understand that the
Police organisations are not what you call pure as milk." And to make the
right effective, there was a need for an upright police force too, he
added. So again, the poor policemen, everybody's favourite whipping boy
for all that is ailing our country.
Even the best police organisations that we can think of in the world can do
little to contain the type of rampant corruption at high levels and the
criminalisation of policies we are facing today. It would be taking too
simplistic view of this menace, when Prime Minister advises the citizens to
"resist the demand thing" as he puts it by way of popular assistance to
"curb corruption".
Corruption has traveled a long way over the years from booking counters,
police stations and Government offices. With Emergency came large kickbacks
in foreign deals like sugar import, Bofors, Airbus-320 purchases. And now
we have alleged "looting of treasuries", purchase of Members of Parliament
and Legislatures from funds acquired from private parties against
Government contracts and alleged siphoning of total contractual amount of
urea deal or so, to secret accounts held in Switzerland.
Apart from electoral reforms and other legal measures to prevent corrupt
politicians from entering legislatures and seats of powers, one way, to
deal effectively with this "monster' of corruption is to strengthen the
investigating agencies like CBI and allowing it the freedom of action. But
the recent abrupt transfer of the CBI Director, when he was due to retire
only a few months later, has sent entirely different signals.
The timing and manner of his removal has raised many questions. With
Joginder Singh going public regarding his decision to chargesheet Laloo
Prasad Yadav in the fodder seam and reports in newspapers regarding the
move of the CBI to launch prosecution in the Bofors case, there was clamour
from the Congress and the Janata Dal for his head. The post has been filled
up by promoting an officer while on extension, contrary to Government rules.
Every time the Prime Minister declares .that none found guilty of
corruption would be spared, he adds that he did not believe in
"witch-hunting". When whole of Bihar was on fire after the CBI decided to
chargesheet Laloo Prasad Yadav in the fodder case, the Prime Minister
avoided meeting the Governor of the State, lost, as he says, he was
misunderstood. The Loader of the Opposition, while speaking in the Lok
Sahba on the adjournment motion on Bihar, makes passing reference to the
role of the Governor, and the Prime Minister advises him that he should not
have mentioned the Governor's conduct. The Governor accords sanction for
prosecution of the Chief Minister of Bihar in the fodder case; the arrest
of the Chief Minister becomes imminent with the Division Bench of Patna
High Court monitoring the case asking why discrimination was being made by
the CBI in the matter of arrest in the same case. But the stubborn Chief
Minister refuses to resign, the repeated public appeals of the Prime
Minister in this regard notwithstanding.
The CBI complains to court against intimidation from ministers and
legislators of the ruling party in Bihar who openly held demonstrations
against the CBI, flashed weapons in front of Raj Bhawan, and yet, the Prime
Minister likes to leave everything to the good sense of the Chief Minister
and the judgment of the Government.
Yes, the office of the Governor must not be used by the Centre for
political and partisan ends, but has the Centre no role vis-a-vis the
Governor who is after all its representative in the State and a nominated
one at that? Would the Governor not be within his jurisdiction to call
upon the Chief Minister in such a situation asking for his resignation or,
if he refuses, to dismiss him? Is this decision of the Governor to be taken
on the basis of who commands a majority in the legislature?
These questions need to be deliberated and answered. No less a person than
C Subramaniam, who has held high offices including that of Governor of
Maharashtra said, in a recent report, that the Bihar Governor could have
very well done it. Many in the country will agree to this.
After the Special Judge trying his case issues a warrant of arrest against
Laloo Prasad Yadav, he resigns but installs his wife as the Chief Minister
to rule by proxy. And still the United Front allows his party members to
continue in the council of Ministers.
Are we going to fight "cancer or corruption" in the country in this manner?
It would not be out of place to remember that way back in 1925 Mahatma
Gandhi warned the nation against the "demons of corruption" and advised the
people to maintain "sleepless vigilance" as best and most effective course
for fighting corruption.
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End of bjp-l-digest V1 #366
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