SPECIAL REPORT

‘We are not perfect’

If there was a prize for defending the indefensible, BJP general secretary, Narendra Modi would win hands down. A shrewd politician he does a good job of whitewashing the Tehelka stains. Excerpts.

The Tehelka taps showing Bangaru Laxman stashing wads of currency notes in his drawer is unlikely to fade from public memory. Will the BJP’s claim of being clean ever be taken seriously after this?

The Tehelka journalists went to Mr Laxman with a script and they enacted the drama. Everybody knows this. They gave money for the party, it’s been handed over. How can it tarnish the party’s image.

Then why did Mr. Laxman have to step down?

He did it on his own. It shows the party’s culture.

If it’s a conspiracy, why do you need a code of ethics?

When there’s an epidemic, even the healthy have to be inoculated. Corruption has afflicted our polity. The code is just to guard against it.

Isn’t it aimed at salvaging the party’s image? Such a code already exists for ministers. How many ministers have declared their assets?

Our ministers have done this, but this information is for the party, not for the press.

Our reports from states where the BJP has been in power show that public perception is that they are equally corrupt. There have been scams during BJP regimes.

Not a single scam has come to light. Even after Tehelka, opinion pools in your paper as well as others have given the Union government a good rating. I’m not saying we are perfect. Magar Congress aur BJP mein aasmaan zameen ka antar hai. When V P Singh, as defence minister, made allegations about defence deals, he was expelled. Our defence minister and the party president resigned merely on the basis of some loose talk by some individuals. That’s the difference.

It took the Congress 50 years to master the art of corruption, BJP has done it in three years.

You cannot judge us on what the Congress says. We would quit, rather than stay in power through corrupt means.

Some years ago, the BJP announced with much fanfare that it would accept political donations only by cheque. It didn’t stick to it. Isn’t it cheating the public?

We want donations by cheques but the donors, fearing victimisation, are not ready. We are helpless.

If you make a public announcement and deviate from it, shouldn’t you also make that public. Isn’t it dishonesty?

Advaniji himself admitted that though we want donations by cheque people are not coming forward.

Critics charge that The Great Indian Family Disease (promoting the interest of the family) has spread to the BJP, Your comment.

I’m not ready to accept this allegation. Do they have any evidence?

A leading newsmagazine says that one of the first things Mr Vajpayee did in his 13-day government in the 1996 was to appoint his foster son-in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya as an OSD in the PMO.

What is written in magazines is not always true.

Even the claim of being a disciplined party seems dented. Advani and Vajpayee are speaking in different voices.

If you look at our history, no two leaders have worked in harmony for more than five years — Gokhale–Ranade, Tilak-Gandhi, Nehru-Patel, Indira-Morarji. Vajpayee and Advani have been working together for 50 years!

Will Tehelka affect BJP’s for tunes in the assembly elections?

Do you think the Congress, sitting next to Jayalalitha, can afford to rake up the corruption issue?

-          Sakina Yusuf Khan