India's National Magazine
From the publishers of THE HINDU

Vol. 16 :: No. 04 :: Feb. 13 - 26, 1999

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COVER STORY

'The party can suggest, only the Government can decide'

Even though Madan Lal Khurana's resignation has shaken the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership, senior leaders are averse to taking any immediate action lest it should precipitate a crisis. They prefer to wait and watch. Party vice-president and Member of Parliament representing Outer Delhi, Krishan Lal Sharma, spoke to V. Venkatesan about Khurana's resignation, the internal problems of the BJP, the party's uneasy relations with the Sangh Parivar and its troubles with some allies. Excerpts:

What are the current problems faced by the BJP-led coalition?

This coalition is proving better than any other coalition at the Centre in the past. We are dealing with our organisational problems firmly and there is no problem that is unsurmountable.

Is action likely to be taken against Madan Lal Khurana?

The appropriate procedure is to be followed. Our first effort is to make everybody realise that they should work under the discipline of the party. We take disciplinary action only when this becomes ineffective. At the moment we are not thinking in terms of issuing a show-cause notice to him. We don't find any reason for any further action because his resignation from the Cabinet and the National Executive has been accepted. The matter ends there as far as the present situation is concerned. If a necessity arises in the future, it will be dealt with accordingly.

What about Khurana's allegation, which he made quoting a senior official of the Home Ministry, that Bajrang Dal activist Dara Singh, the main suspect in the Staines killing case, campaigned for the BJP in Orissa?

He has tried to explain that, and in a way he has contradicted himself. Although he has quoted a Union Home Ministry official, the statement has to be ascertained. His remarks have been overplayed by the media.

What is your opinion about Khurana's anguish at the Sangh Parivar's criticism of the Government?

The Sangh Parivar consists of different organisations and they have their own style of functioning. There is normal dissent within the Parivar. In a democracy, there can be no objection to their criticism of the Government.

By hindsight, was Khurana's removal as Chief Minister of Delhi a mistake?

There is no need to read too much between the lines. Every decision was taken after consultations. And Khurana was also involved in the process of consultations. Even after the decisions were taken, he chose to abide by them.

ANU PUSHKARNA

Have the recent events compelled the Government to dissociate itself from extremist elements in the Sangh Parivar?

Both the Sangh Parivar and the Prime Minister have a right to disagree with each other. There is already a distance between the BJP and the other organs of the Sangh Parivar. We work in different spheres. Even according to the thinking of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), to which all organs of the Sangh Parivar have their original affiliation, every organisation is independent in its own way. There are consultations, but decision-making is left to the National Executive and the Cabinet. The party can suggest, but only the Government can decide. The organs of the Sangh Parivar differ from one another, but there is no tension.

What is your response to the indictment of the Gujarat Government by the National Commission on Minorities (NCM)?

Dangs is a small district in Gujarat and the incidents taking place there are isolated. They did not spread. Peace committees have been constituted and normalcy has been restored. The same Commission has not said anything about Madhya Pradesh after the rape of nuns in Jhabua. It reveals the Commission's bias.

The Centre has taken the Manoharpur incident in Orissa seriously and instituted a judicial inquiry. What more can the Centre do? There have been no riots anywhere in the country after the BJP-led Government took over at the Centre. There is a conspiracy. Extraordinary importance should not be given to these allegations. The country saw worse incidents when the Congress(I) ruled it. Is there any parallel to the 1984 riots or the Kashmir incidents? I will emphatically deny that there is an anti-Christian atmosphere or feeling in the country.

What about the bickering between the BJP and its allies?

We are trying to instil a sense of belonging and collective responsibility in the BJP's allies. After all, we have to run a government.

How do you perceive Jayalalitha's refusal to sign the joint declaration of the BJP and its allies after the recent Coordination Committee meeting?

We will see. After all, signing the document is not like signing a bond.