HVK Archives: Secularism has become tradable: BJP
Secularism has become tradable: BJP - The Economic Times
Political Bureau
()
12 April 1997
Title : Secularism has become tradable: BJP
Author : Political Bureau
Publication : The Economic Times
Date : April 12, 1997
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies today effectively
managed to drive home its political point that both the United
Front and the Congress (I) have reduced the concept of secularism
into a political jargon for grabbing power.
Party's speakers - Mr Atal Behari-Vajpayee, Mr Jaswant Singh, Mr
Pramod Mahajan and Ms Uma Bharati - in a two-pronged attack tried
to project the party's view the 'secularism' has become a "tradable
commodity" with both the Congress(I) and the United Front parties
while attempting to highlight the contradictions within the Front.
"The main allegation of the Congress(I) is that the United Front
has failed to protect secularism, while the burden of the Front's
argument that a break up should be avoided for keeping the secular
fabric intact. Is secularism so flimsy," Mr Vajpayee asked.
The first speaker from the BJP side, Mr Jaswant Singh, who trained
the guns at the Congress(I) said: "The artificial legislative
arrangement created in June last year was a huge lie" inflicted
upon the people. "This lie is coming unstuck in a glorious and
ignominious manner," he said.
Mr Singh, who targeted the CPI(M), an important ally of the ruling
regime said that like the Congress(I), the communists too have been
pretending to wield power without responsibility and have been
trying to run the affairs of the government without accountability.
The present crisis has been created by double crossing, he said,
adding that those from the Congress who were talking to the United
Front to resolve the impasse were actually interested in the
failure of the talks.
In a masterly Performance, his colleague, Mr Pramod Mahajan, whose
speech was marked by sarcasm and punch, said that the Congress
leaders were prompted to withdraw the party's support when the UF
was found wanting in shielding Congress' "corrupt leaders".
Mr Mahajan said there was no convincing or plausible reason for
the, Congress to withdraw the support, except its own
self-interest. He said that the entire arrangement between the
Congress and the United Front was "unnatural" and was bound to
collapse.
Opposition leader Atal Behari Vajpayee, who cautiously avoided
dragging personalities in his attack said that the present
political crisis was "due to lack trust in each oilier" and
emphasised that elections were unavoidable.
"While United Front continued to exhibit its anti-Congressism in
spite of drawing support from the party, the Congress showed that
it was unable to sustain itself without power," Mr Vajpayee said.
He said that misinterpretation of the mandate for the 11th Lok
Sabha, leading to anti-BJPism, culminated in the present crisis.
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