Advani: Spoiling for a fight

Mumbai, Dec. 27: Amid moves to oust him also as leader of the Opposition, outgoing BJP chief L.K. Advani is preparing to defend himself against the charge of having defended the cash-for-queries MPs in Parliament.

Sources said that in his presidential address to the national convention beginning tomorrow, Advani will react sharply to the allegation of “sympathising with the corrupt”.

He is expected not only to cite that he had taken the lead in suspending the tainted members but to make political corruption a focal point of his speech.

Advani is believed to be deeply hurt by talk at the BJP’s silver jubilee celebrations that he had, through his remarks in the House, allowed the bribery-on-camera scandal to sully the party’s image.

The BJP president had told the Lok Sabha that expelling the MPs was too harsh a punishment, as what they were primarily guilty of was “stupidity”.

Many in the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ? which has brought Advani’s stint as party president to a premature end over his Jinnah remarks last June ? is livid at him for this statement, too.

Senior BJP leader and Sangh favourite Murli Manohar Joshi, however, today dismissed reports linking him with the “oust Advani” campaign.

The former Union minister had been quoted in the media as saying Advani was “not fit to be the leader of the Opposition”. Joshi was beside himself with rage.

“I never made these remarks. I never asked for his resignation. I don’t know why such canards are being spread,” he said.

Joshi, however, seems to want the BJP to discuss the cash-for-query scam and the stand the party took in Parliament.

Advani, too, is believed to be keen that the party’s position on political corruption in the context of the scam is reflected in the political resolution the national executive is going to adopt.

The sources said political corruption and related issues would figure prominently in the resolution.

The national executive will draft the resolution, which will later be ratified by the national council.

Senior leaders have rushed to Advani’s defence. M. Venkaiah Naidu said speculations about Advani’s ouster from his House post are “without any basis”.

“L.K. Advani will continue to be the leader of the Opposition,” Naidu said.

“Advaniji has devoted himself to public service. There is no room for rumours,” Jaswant Singh added.