Bouyed by dispirited Congress campaign on Tehelka, NDA tones down counter-campaign

Bouyed by dispirited Congress campaign on Tehelka, NDA tones down counter-campaign
SHARAD GUPTA

NEW DELHI, APRIL 3: With main Opposition Congress Party's campaign against the Union Government on the Tehelka issue not picking up, NDA leaders too seem to be having second thoughts on continuing their counter-campaign on the issue.

NDA leaders are expected to review their campaign schedule after April 7 in light of the Congress' campaign. ``What's the point of defending allegations which the Opposition is no more interested in levelling against the Government,'' asked a senior NDA minister today.

The NDA would now carry on its scheduled programme of rallies but with a subdued defence of the allegations of corruptions levelled by the Opposition in wake of the Tehelka expose.

Home Minister L.K. Advani, Rural Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, andDefence Minister George Fernandes kick off the NDA campaign tomorrow at Hyderabad, to be followed by a rally to be addressed by Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee at Bangalore the next day.

NDA leaders seem to have chalked out their campaign taking care of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's schedule. The Prime Minister is to address rallies at Bhubneshwar and Lucknow after Sonia has already made her point there, so as to give a point-by-point rebuttal of her allegations.

The NDA might convert its Lucknow rally on April 15, into a Kisan rally in case Congress chief doesn't harp too much on Tehelka allegations, NDA sources said.

The Lucknow rally was in fact, planned originally by the state BJP unit as a Kisan rally and had been turned into a campaign to defend the party after the Congress decision to take the Tehelka issue to the people.

The NDA leaders have dug out a whole list of scams which surfaced during 45 years of Congress rule in the country including Bofors, urea and petrol pump allotment deals, as part of its strategy to discredit the Opposition's allegations.

They are also expected to defend George by citing his decision to have all defence deals struck during past 10 years, examined by the Central Vigilance Commissioner. ``How can a person who has always stood for transparency in public life, be accused of indulging in corrupt practices,'' said a senior BJP leader.

No one would, however, defend former BJP chief Bangaru Laxman who was caught on the Tehelka tapes, receiving wads of currency notes for the ``party fund''from Tehelka journalists posing as arms dealers.

``We will tell the people to wait for the report of judicial inquiry which has to be impartial since the judge heading the probe has not been appointed by the Government but by the Chief Justice of India,'' he claimed.