Bjp Accuses Gujral Of Being Soft On Laloo

The Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) yesterday criticised Prime Minister I K Gujrals statement in the Lok Sabha on the likelihood of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) charging Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav and other ministers for their role in the fodder scam in Bihar. The party described the statement as evasive.

The Prime Minister only reiterated what he said during his reply to the governments confidence vote, BJP vice-president K L Sharma said. The government and the Prime Minister will have to give a categorical response about the fate of those likely to be chargesheeted in the fodder scam, he said.

Gujral reiterated in the House that the government would not interfere in the investigation process, will not witch-hunt and that the guilty will not be spared.

The party also expressed disagreement with former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhars statement in the House that the issue did not deserve the attention unless the CBI actually filed the chargesheets against those accused.

The very fact that a government agency has pointed fingers at these ministers should be enough reason for their resignation, he said.

Former Janata Dal (JD) president S R Bommai was forced out of office in the wake of hawala charges against him and the Dal tried to make a virtue of this, Sharma said. Why was Yadav, the current Dal president, not resigning on similar grounds, he asked.

Yadavs recent statement that he would reduce the Central government to dust is highly condemnable, as it was a direct attack on the credibility of the government, Sharma said.

The statement of Yadav and other leaders of the United Fronts various constituents demonstrated that the Front

was divided on various issues, he said, arguing that the Front should change its name to the divided front.