LUCKNOW, Dec 30: Jolted by Sonia Gandhi's decision to campaign for the Congress, the BJP has planned a major offensive against her by raking in the Bofors and HDW controversies surrounding her family.Senior BJP leader, Atal Behari Vajpayee today said political corruption had always been a major issue on the BJP's agenda and both the controversies were still fresh in the people's memory. ``From now on people will listen even more attentively to such issues,'' he prophesied.
Speaking to journalists, Vajpayee claimed that Sonia's entry into electoral politics would not affect the BJP's prospects. But at the same time he also admitted that Sonia's decision had dampened the party's chances of forging an alliance with Mamata Banerjee's Trinamul Congress in West Bengal.
He also claimed that Congress leaders who were leaving the party to join the BJP would not be affected by Sonia's decision. ``I hope some more Congress leaders will join the BJP,'' he said.
If his party had an anti-corruption agenda how
could he then justify his party's alliance with J Jayalalitha in Tamil Nadu since she was also facing corruption charges? ``We only have a seat adjustment with the AIADMK and the poll manifestoes of both the parties would be different,'' the BJP leader said.
Vajpayee said the cases against Jayalalitha were pending in court and she was innocent until proven guilty. He also indicated that the BJP-AIDMK alliance was, in fact, a part of the party's gratitude towards Jayalalitha for pleading the BJP's case in the National Integration Council (NIC) meet in 1992. The Loktantrik Congress, meanwhile, has refused to part ways with the BJP and merge with the Congress. Party spokesperson Amar Mani Tripathi said today that there was no question of going back to the Congress. In Uttar Pradesh, Congress workers today welcomed Sonia's decision, bursting crackers and playing with gulal through out the day.
Earlier, Vajpayee allayed fears that the 1998 polls would throw up a hung Parliament saying he was confident people
would vote for a stable and efficient Government at the Centre.
Vajpayee also claimed that his party was in touch with several regional parties in Assam, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, those that were opposed to the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party. The BJP was in touch with Bangarappa's Karnataka Congress and Ram Krishna Hegde's Lok Shakti in Karnataka, he said. Vajpayee reacted sharply to the VHP's call to Muslims. The VHP had asked them to abdicate their claim over Kanshi and Mathura lest the two shrines meet the fate of the Ayodhya shrine. "Kashi and Mathura were never in the BJP's agenda and we have nothing to say about the VHP's claims. I hope people to understand that the VHP and the BJP are different organisations with different agendas," he said.
Responding to the VHP offer of mobilising support to make Vajpyee the next Prime Minister by invoking the Hindutva card, he quipped: "I like the first part of their statement...Many people want to make me PM so that they can rake in the moolah. But
their designs won't succeed.
Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
