statement issued by BJP General Secretary, Shri Ananth Kumar

Press Statement issued by
BJP General Secretary, Shri Ananth Kumar

Congress-UPA government today resembles a rudderless ship. There is no sense of direction and the Captain does not seem to have the steering wheel in his hands. The Prime Minister, though vested with the responsibility to command the ship, does not have the authority of the Captain. The Gandhi family with overweening powers to set the direction and pace of the ship demits all accountability the moment the ship runs into rough weather or choppy waters. It seems that the UPA dispensation has set-up the Prime Minister as a camouflage to facilitate the behind-the-scene political manoeuvring by the real powers-that-matter.

The Congress Party clearly feels that the UPA Government headed by Dr. Manmohan Singh has become a liability and is distancing itself from the actions of the Government. The inherent contradictions in the very structure of the UPA are making themselves manifest. While the Congress Party and its President was ever eager to take credit through the extra-constitutional NAC headed by Smt. Sonia Gandhi herself but immediately insulate themselves from the acts of omission and commission of the Government even when done at the behest of the Congress High Command. The Government is led not by the Prime Minister but by the Congress President and her kitchen cabinet in the National Advisory Committee.

As a result, on many issues, the Congress Party and the Government appear to be pulling from different directions and the Ministers more often act at the prompting of the Congress Party and its President and less on the instructions of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister today has been reduced to the position of a notional head while the real power and decision-making authority on crucial issues are concentrated in the Congress High Command.

This has become evident from the recent sequence of events. The most glaring one being the contradictions in the UPA government’s approach towards handling of the agitation against corruption launched by Baba Ramdev –

1. Divergence of opinion within the Government about adopting a ‘political’ or ‘policing’ approach with Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee initiating the dialogue approach while hot-heads and adventurists like the Home Minister Mr. Chidambaram and HRD Minister Mr. Kapil Sibal advocating a more stringent and hawkish ‘policing’ approach. This contradiction and the urge to prove oneself ‘more-faithful-than-the-king’ in defending the empire led to the messy situation the Congress and the UPA finds itself in today.
2. Apparently, the ‘policing’ approach to tackle the agitation by Baba Ramdev was adopted at the prompting of the Congress President and the Prime Minister was kept in the dark about the diabolical crackdown.
3. This one-upmanship tussle within the UPA saw the Congress Party and the UPA Government speaking with divergent voices and the Party virtually disowning the Government’s action. However, it seems that the Government initially appeared inclined more towards a political settlement of the issue, as evident from the strong ministerial contingent deployed to engage Baba Ramdev. Mysteriously, someone chickened out at the prospect of likely acceptance of demands for strong action to bring back the sleaze money stashed abroad and worked overtime to spoil the script and ensure that no meaningful action is taken to curb corruption and black money.
4. The ruthlessness with which the Delhi Police went about suppressing the protestors, revealed a mindset of vendetta guiding the entire process. The rattled Congress-UPA dispensation at midnight brutally attacked to own citizens. The Government has still not explained as to who decided to take such a drastic action against the satyagrahis in Ramlila Maidan. The Minister or the Police official responsible for the naked and shameless aggression against a peaceful protest must be exposed and removed from authority.
5. Justifying the action the union HRD Minister Mr. Kapil Sibal told TV channels that the action will ‘teach a lesson’ to others.
6. Clearly the Congress-UPA Government wanted to send a message that anyone opposing the party and the Government will be dealt with brutal force and repressed.
7. The use of repressive measures in Ramlila Maidan is reminiscent of Jalianwala Bagh massacre as the action was unwarranted and disproportionately brutal. Letting the police force run riot over hapless sleeping ladies, children and elderly was indicative of a vengeful mindset guiding the action. Like Jallianwala Bagh, the closed enclosure was surrounded from all sides to ensure that no one was able to escape. The use of tear gas shells, inside the covered 'pandal' area, merciless lathicharge and even stone throwing by policemen was meant to ensure that no one escaped unhurt. This perhaps, was a pre-meditated decision taken with a malicious intent to prevent the heat of strong action against corrupt reaching the power-centre of the Congress Party.
8. It is ironical that this Congress-UPA Government remained unaffected when rank separatists and anti-national elements held a Seminar close to the seat of power openly demanding sedition and dismemberment of India. The Government did not do anything and no police force was used. Neither was Section-144 imposed nor were any externment orders served. The Congress-UPA regime is willing to allow full freedom to separatists and anti-national forces but suppresses spiritual leaders and peaceful patriotic citizens demanding probity and transparency in public life and strong laws to tackle the menace of corruption and black money.
9. Equally insensitive and numbing has been the justification provided by the Prime Minister for the indefensible police action. The apathy and an absolute lack of concern displayed by the Prime Minister is shocking and smacks of an increasingly authoritarian mindset evident in the conduct of the Congress Party leaders and reflected in the actions of the Government.
10. It might be useful to recall that just before imposing the infamous Emergency by the Congress Party in 1975, similar set of language, idiom and cacophony was raised by the then Congress leaders to justify trampling of constitutional rights of the common citizens and to protect their turf in power.
11. It is disturbing that so far neither Smt. Sonia Gandhi nor the heir apparent Mr. Rahul Gandhi has condemned the wave of suppression unleashed across the country by the Congress-UPA Government. This shows full complicity and connivance of the Congress President and the Gandhi family becomes clear from this. Smt. Sonia Gandhi owes an apology and explanation to the nation for the naked attempt to deny the basic and fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of India.
12. Smt. Sonia Gandhi and Sh Rahul Gandhi raised the matter of police atrocities on farmers in Bhatta-Parsaul but have not shown similar zeal and enthusiasm in condemning the police brutalities on hapless citizens in Ramlila Maidan. This shows their political expediency and exposes their commitment to securing the rights of the common people.
13. The indecent and abusive language used by Congress General Secretary, Mr. Digvijay Singh and other Congress Spokespersons again exemplifies that it has the explicit consent of the Congress President as these comments and the language has neither been condemned nor has this tendency been reined in. On the contrary, this is being brazenly justified and more expletives and cheaper language and idioms are being used demeaning the level of political discourse in the country. It also shows the inherently undemocratic and authoritarian streak of the Congress Party and its leadership.
14. Corruption has become the distinctive hallmark of the Congress-UPA Government. One thing for which this government is being remembered is the open license to loot the precious national resources and an absolute unwillingness to take any meaningful action unless compelled by an observation of the Supreme Court. The Prime Minister and the Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi kept on justifying and defending by denying any wrong-doing inspite of string of exposes and multitude of scams related to Commonwealth Games, 2G Spectrum, ‘S’ band, Adarsh Society, foodgrains, price rise etc. Each and every action of Congress-UPA regime is steeped in deep corruption and a total complicity to condone and shield the guilty is being most wilfully shown.
15. The only action the Government has taken is because of stringent monitoring by the Supreme Court and expose in the media and the consistent highlighting of rampant corruption by the BJP during the Parliament sessions and outside. Otherwise, it would have preferred to hush up the matter and push it under the carpet. Whatever action is being taken is only due to the unrelenting pressure brought on the Government.

BJP demands that the Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister must apologize to the nation for violating the fundamental constitutional rights of the citizens to peacefully protest against the policies and actions of the Government. They must also own responsibility and express regret for use of brutal police force to suppress the agitation by Baba Ramdev and his followers by letting loose a reign of terror and atrocities.

of various States and senior leaders of BJP from respective States

Programme: Bharatiya Janata Party will organize rallies at more than 100 places across the country between 23^rd to 26^th June, 2011 as part of its Grand Campaign to remove corruption, bring back black money and to protect democracy and constitutional rights. These rallies will be addressed by national leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party, Chief Ministers