By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Bhopal: The rightist Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), has established a “record in political immorality” and crossed the Rubicon line by deciding to join hands with Shibu Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, (JMM), to form ministry in Jharkhand state.
The above is the considered opinion of Rashtriya Swabhiman Andolan National convenor K N Govindacharya, the pracharak-turned-politician who led the BJP into power in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections. He put forth his views candidly while addressing media persons here on Tuesday.
Govindacharya reasoned that the character and conduct of JMM is radically different from the BJP. It will be very difficult for BJP to gel with it until and unless it cares two hoots for propriety and compromises its ideology for the sake of power.
He lamented this time round the Opposition BJP, always claiming to be a party with a difference, has on the line of treasury benches has reached the pinnacle of “political immorality” and democracy is in danger. He said in the present scenario there seems to be no tuning between BJP leaders and its workers.
He questioned that except coming to power and remain there what was the necessity for BJP to extend support to JMM and strike an unprincipled deal. By crossing the limits of immorality and compromising party policies to come to power what party and national interest will be served, he wondered.
Similarly, the BJP is wrong in suggesting a ministerial post for Renukacharya in the Karnataka Cabinet. In both cases, the party’s ideology had been compromised, he said.
It may be pointed here that the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Mrs. Sushma Swaraj while addressing a Press conference here on Monday had defended the BJP’s decision to support the JMM in its bid to form a government in that state.
While replying to a query on JMM President Shibu Soren — who was acquitted in a murder case by High Court — she had said since the BJP decided to support the JMM in government formation, it impliedly meant that Soren was innocent. There was ”no option left” with the party other than forming an alliance.
Mrs. Swaraj had stated that the JMM episode was a compulsion brought on by the country’s coalition politics, she added that the current political scenario had been converted into ”bipolar coalition politics” thus compelling the BJP not to back out from the Jharkhand arrangement.
Govindacharya philosophically remarked: “only time will tell”, when a questioner wanted to know whether senior party leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L. K. Advani would continue to have remote control of the party in their hands despite appointing Nitin Gadkari as the party Chief and Mrs. Sushma Swaraj as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
About joining the BJP, Govindacharya said that he has no plans to join the BJP nor any offer, then no question of condition being put.
Setting at rest the rumours about his entry into BJP, he said: “I have been busy compiling literary work after my sabbatical got over. There was unnecessary rumours circulating around regarding my probable return to the BJP.”
Meanwhile, it may be recalled here that in an interview last month on the question of returning to BJP fold he had said: “There are too many conflicts and contradictions. No one can repair it. From Shahnawaz to Varun Gandhi, it’s a 180-degree-wide spectrum. You have Murli Manohar Joshi and Murlidar Rao on the one end on economic policies and Advani on the other. You have Modi welcoming SEZs and malls to wreck the party. He cares two hoots about the Sangh Parivar. You also have Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister), who can’t live without the Sangh Parivar. All relationships are need-based.
In the same interview he had said on record that the Congress and the BJP are both pro-foreign and pro-rich. They should merge. They are not allowing space to pro-poor voices. If you do this, you are leading people to anarchist forces.
While commenting on the Justice (Retd.) Sagheer Ahmad Committee report’s recommendations on Centre-State relationship, Govindacharya has said: “It would be suicidal for the Centre to implement it in to-to whatever the committee had suggested while crossing its limits. The committee’s recommendations in relation to Jammu would only encourage separatism.”
He said the Rashtriya Swabhiman Andolan had been in contact with many institutions and people to prepare a ‘National Vision Paper’ whose draft would be unveiled on January 15 in New Delhi.
“After carrying out the necessary correction and incorporating the suggestions, the ‘National Vision Paper’ would be made public during March next year”, Govindacharya said. ([email protected])