Eyes on 2014 polls, BJP slams Cong on scams

In an effort to make itself a more acceptable option to political parties and bid a final adieu to the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has skirted the issues of Ram Janambhoomi and “saffron terror” in its new resolution.

Though both the contentious issues found mention in the speech of party President Nitin Gadkari on the first day of the two-day national executive held here, they failed to find a place in the party’s resolution on the final day today.

The BJP, which is expecting a better performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections than the previous occasion, dragged the name of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and his family members for their alleged links with Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, a key accused in the multi-crore Bofors gun deal.

“When Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister, Ottavio Quattrocchi had unrivalled access to the PM’s household. The Bofors scandal achieved its status in echelons of scandals primarily thanks to Quattrocchi and his association with the then PM’s household,” read the political resolution adopted by the BJP.

It further said, “The Congress, particularly its first family, is faced with the power of truth but truth has the habit of coming up at inconvenient time.”

While recollecting his days when emergency was imposed on the country in the mid-1970s, L K Advani, the senior most leader of BJP, said that many parties had come together because of the efforts of Jayaprakash Narayan and formed an alliance against the Congress. This alliance, he said, also helped to keep away the myth that was formed against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

“There have been a many turning points in India’s political history, especially Independence and Emergency. Similarly, I see 2010 and 2011 as another turning point. It is a challenge for us because there are elections in not just five states this year but there are Lok Sabha elections in 2014, or who knows even earlier,” Advani told his party members at the concluding day of the national executive.

He added that corruption and security would change the politics of the country. “There should be no let up from us, no mistakes and if we don’t miss this chance, we can win more seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.”