By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Patna: Apparently Bharatiya Janata Party is weeping for the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy, but the party, many do not know, accepted donations from Dow Chemicals Company which owns all assets and liabilities including the killer pesticide plant of Union Carbide India Ltd. Dow Chemicals bought Union Carbide in 2001.
The BJP termed as “painful” the Bhopal court order on June 7 whereby eight accused were given a sentence of only two years in jail. The party demanded the government to challenge the court order. “It’s painful. After 26 years of hearing, the accused have got only two years of imprisonment and Rs 5 lakh of compensation has been decided upon. The CBI should go into appeal immediately against the verdict,” said BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad.
The BJP also strongly reacted over the news report that Congress government had asked CBI to go slow on the extradition of Warren Anderson, fugitive CEO of Union Carbide. “The attempts by the then Union government led by PV Narsimha Rao asking the CBI not to press for extradition of Anderson are very unfortunate and deeply condemnable,” Prasad said.
But many do not know that the party apparently so aggressive on the injustice to Bhopal gas victims had in fact received donation from Dow Chemcials, the present owner of the gas plant.
Dow Chemicals gave Rs one lakh to BJP during 2006-2007 through CitiBank Draft no 9189. The information came to light through an RTI application filed by Jamia Millia Islamia student and RTI activist Afroz Alam Sahil.
When the gas tragedy took place in 1984, BJP made an issue of Congress led govt’s intension, relief package and commitment. The opposition had also alleged some Congress leaders of taking side of Union Carbide. BJP has always blamed Congress for injustice to victims, and promising justice has been coming to power in Madhya Pradesh, but it did nothing for the victims, rather has been playing a political game on the issue and has received donation from Dow Chemicals behind the curtain, says Sahil.