Dalits in BJP bay for Shanta Kumar's blood

Dalits in BJP bay for Shanta Kumar's blood
SHARAD GUPTA

NEW DELHI, MARCH 30: The BJP leadership is in a fix over its Dalit leaders' demand for action against Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister Shanta Kumar for demanding former BJP chief Bangaru Laxman's expulsion from the party.

After meeting party chief Jana Krishnamurthy over this demand, party's SC/ST Morcha president Ramnath Kovid, a Rajya Sabha member, said: ``The party has take cognisance of the utterances of Shanta Kumar.''

According to the BJP's Dalit leaders, Kumar's tirade against Laxman may have been provoked by the former party chief's tough stand on dissidence among BJP legislators in Himachal Pradesh. Kumar is believed to have sponsored the dissidents and Laxman had snubbed both Kumar and the dissidents while he headed the party.

According to Dalit leaders, Kumar's demand goes against the party top brass' stand that Bangaru is innocent because he had taken money for the party. The leaders said that Kumar's demand could out send a wrong message to the party cadre, specially their Dalit supporters.

Bangaru had at first claimed that his Dalit status had made him the target of a Congress conspiracy. The party, apparently, could not stand his growing popularity among Dalits.

In the 160-strong national executive, Kumar was the only one to raise the issue. All the others had supported Laxman, Kovid said. ``It was a trap not for Bangaru, but for the BJP. And if any one else was in Bangaru's place, be it Vajpayee or Advani, he too would have fallen into the trap,'' he said.

Undeterred by Kumar's demand, Bangaru today defended his aides saying none had done any wrong, except his PA, Satyamurthy. He was caught by Tehelka's spycams approaching the dotcom's team at a five-star hotel for his share of the booty.

Bangaru said he was unaware of Satyamurthy's past, who was not a regular appointee. ``He was working for a pharmaceutical company and approached me for a job. I told him to assist me with my work,'' Laxman said today.

A day after the Tehelka expose, Satyamurthy wrote to Bangaru saying that he had received money from the dotcom's sting reporters. ``He said he had committed a mistake and was resigning,'' Bangaru said. The former BJP chief said he was unaware of Satyamurthy's present whereabouts.

He defended his other aides -- U. Raju -- who was also was named by Tehelka for accepting gifts from them, and media advisor R.K. Sinha. ``Raju never met Tehelka reporters, a fact corroborated by Satyamurthy too in his letter. I don't know which Raju they are talking about. As for Sinha, he never had anything to do with Defence deals. He has been vice-president of the BJP in Bihar and is still assisting me with my job,'' Bangaru said.

When asked if employing a non-BJP man as his PA was a mistake, Bangaru clarified that Satyamurthy was never employed as his PA. ``He was only a stop-gap arrangement for the past three months. I was looking for a permanent secretary.''

Laxman rues there is no permanent secretariat for the BJP chief and all new incumbents have to employ their own men. ``The BJP president's secretariat normally moves along with him,'' he said.