Avtar Bhat
jammu/NEW DELHI, Sept 28:- Two major issues pertaining to J&K State figured in one day BJP National Executive meet which was followed by two days National Council meet at Suraj Kund, Faridabad and became the part of the Party’s political resolutions which were adopted on the concluding day of the meeting today.
The political resolution while referring to J&K expressed grave concern over the killing of Sarpanchs and Panchs the State. The resolution said this is the indication of resurgence of terrorism.
Maintaining that there was definite involvement of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in these killings, the resolution accused NC -Congress coalition in the State and Congress led UPA at Centre of continuously denying it.
The resolution while turning tables on both Central and State Governments said directionless approach of the Congress on the issue has led country no where and Pakistan has also not responded to the evidence of terrorism promoted from its soil and it did not seem that the neighbouring country was taking it seriously also.
The resolution said that BJP is in favour of strict action against terrorism and security to Panchs and Sarpanchs besides empowering Panchayats in the State by implementing the 73rd and 74 th amendments of Indian Constitution.
The Political resolution was moved by former Union Minister and senior Party leader, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and it was seconded by former national president, Raj Nath Singh.
In the political resolution, an amendment was moved on Gilgit -Baltistan issue by BJP National Executive Member from J&K and chief spokesperson of its state unit, Dr Jitendra Singh.
Dr Joshi, while speaking on the issue said the amendment will be adopted as Party has taken cognizance of such resolutions moved in some countries as well as in so-called Gilgit -Baltistan Assembly which are posing a threat to India’s territorial integrity.
The amendment also drew attention to the fact that Gilgit -Baltistan is a part of J&K. It said Pakistan was trying to usurp the Constitutional status of the region and make a claim over it. The amendment also referred to Chinese intrusion in India.
The Political resolution also urged the Prime Minister to quit as UPA has lost the confidence of public. It also urged the PM to hand over to the CBI inquiry of all the scams including the coalgate scam.
The resolution alleged that UPA was suffering from indecisiveness, policy paralysis and corruption.
During the concluding meet the economic resolution was also adopted which expressed concern over the bringing of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail. The resolution was presented by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley.
Speaking on the resolution Mr Jaitley said the UPA Government’s decision on FDI will leave lakhs of small traders jobless. He, while refuting the argument of the Government that FDI will bring prosperity to farmers said if that was the case then why US has kept subsidy for farmers despite FDI.
Referring to Supreme Court judgment, he said UP ministers are trying to misinterpret it and allotment of natural resources and contracts should be given on the basis of competitive bidding unless there is a special case for the allotment to charity and non profit making social organizations.
He said allotment without competitive bidding to profit making parties is unconstitutional.
Agencies add:
Targeting the Prime Minister, BJP accused him of leading his Party and Government in attacking and subverting Constitutional institutions in a bid to shield corruption and demanded a probe by Supreme Court appointed SIT into coal blocks issue.
“This Government is engaging in corruption and is then being brazen about it. Have they got any inner conscience which is needed to continue in office? This is a Government of, for and by the corrupt,” senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi while moving a political resolution at the BJP National Council here
Slamming Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh for questioning institutions like Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), it said this is a dangerous trend for democracy and called for overthrowing the present dispensation
“In an unacceptable fashion, the Prime Minister topped up the effort of the Congress spokesperson in attacking a constitutional authority such as the CAG. They attributed political motives to the CAG and maligned the institutions.
“This is totally unacceptable in a democracy and the Congress shall only regret this grave error committed by the Prime Minister himself,” Joshi said.
He charged that though Singh is directly responsible for the anomalies in coal block allocations, he has refused to accept it and instead challenged the institutions.
“The biggest regret is that the Prime Minister has said what the CAG claims is wrong and we will challenge it in the PAC,” Joshi said, pointing out that the PM had made this statement both inside and outside Parliament.
He wondered what impact this would have on the Cabinet Ministers and senior officials when they are called by the PAC or indicted by CAG as they may also get encouraged by the Prime Minister’s attitude and start questioning these institutions.
BJP insisted that the administrative and financial accountability of every Government has to be fixed in a democracy.
The Party alleged that “corporate lobbyists had decided who would be given which Cabinet portfolio”.
“If institutions are finished in this manner it would endanger democracy… This is a dangerous trend. Where are we headed?” Joshi said.
The party also questioned the absence of any code of conduct for the Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections and maintained that special packages given by the Centre to the States to garner support for its candidates in such polls should be stopped.
BJP demanded cancellation of all the 142 coal block allocations and a probe by a Supreme Court appointed Special investigation Team (SIT) into the Rs 1.86 lakh crore scam.
The party also expressed serious concern over the desecration of the Amar Jawan Jyoti Memorial in Mumbai by a crowd of protesters, the ethnic violence in Assam, communal riots in Uttar Pradesh since SP came to power.
Senior party leader Rajnath Singh objected to the Prime Minister’s earlier statement that Muslims have the first right to the country’s resources, saying resources cannot be allocated on basis of caste and religion.
He drew attention to encroachment of land on the Bangladesh border, giving citizenship to Hindu refugees from Pakistan, among other issues.
With allegations flying thick and fast against its own leaders including party President, senior BJP leader L K Advani today made some “plain speaking” saying that its own rank and file should be above board on corruption issues.
He also told the party leadership at all levels that they must speak in one voice and avoid the tendency to speak in multiple voices,.
“When we criticize the Congress on corruption and there is even a whiff of corruption in our party there is so much noise. We should expect the same firm treatment to our own people,” the BJP veteran said addressing the valedictory session of the National Council meeting here.
Advani’s forthright comments asking the leaders to be above board come at a time when allegations have been made by an RTI activist that attempts have been made BJP President Nitin Gadkari to hush up the irrigation scam in Maharashtra. He has strongly denied the charges and issued a legal notice to activist Anjali Damania seeking an apology from her.
There have also been allegations that Gadkari’s associate and party MP Ajay Sancheti had benefited from coal block allocations in Chhattisgarh and the irrigation scam, which he has denied.
“Our USP (Unique Selling Proportion) has been that we are honest, patriots and disciplined. If there is any shortcoming on these aspects people criticize us”.
“The BJP leadership at all levels must speak in one voice. We must ruthlessly put down the tendency to speak in multiple voices,” Advani said.
He emphasized that BJP is known as a party committed to probity in politics and governance and there should be no compromise on this issue.
Maintaining that the people were very keen on “over-throwing the corrupt” UPA Government which is not likely to complete its full term, Advani said he is doing this “plain-speaking” to his party colleagues to ensure that BJP is not found lacking as a better replacement for the Congress.
While BJP’s fight against corruption in the Congress-led UPA was dented when its own Chief Minister in Karnataka, B S Yeddyurappa was indicted in a graft case by the Lokayukta, there have been other instances of financial wrongdoing by the BJP leaders.
“People’s perception of a party is often much more important than the reality,” Advani said here.
He said city corporations were the ones where corruption was noticed even before it became visible in State Governments.
“We have to be fully cautious,” he said, adding that the anger of the people against the UPA Government would turn into support for the BJP only if it can appear as a “credible alternative”.
“Sections of the media say there is anger against the Congress but BJP may not be upto it to replace them…. The perception should be that if BJP is in power anywhere there will be no corruption there… There is a big opportunity now,” Advani said.
The veteran leader claimed an “anti-Congress” atmosphere was developing in the country and his party should be ready.
Advani also administered a pledge to his party workers which said that they will strive towards freeing India from the corrupt and bad governance of the Congress and will launch a democratic struggle for it to make the 21st Century a century of India.
The senior leader asked his party to be ready for polls as the Manmohan Singh Government is in “ICU or some would say on a ventilator”.
“I even asked Gadkari that we should think about finalising our list of candidates,” he said.
He underlined the need for expanding the BJP-led NDA to improve its prospects of in the general elections.
The National Council also cleared the decks for an unprecedented back-to-back second term to Nitin Gadkari as party president after it gave a nod to the amendment in the party constitution.
The National Council, which has over 1,200 members, formally adopted the resolution which was moved by senior party leader Rajnath Singh.
The resolution, which also contains provision for second consecutive term for party’s state unit presidents, was seconded by senior party leader Venkaiah Naidu.
Interestingly, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who was present on the stage during discussion on a political resolution, was absent when the resolution for change in party Constitution was passed.
Mr Gadkari’s current term as president ends in December and his second tenure will continue till December 2015.
The sources said he got a second term as the party’s ideologue, the RSS, was keen on another term for him.
The change in section 21 of the party constitution allows an active and ‘eligible’ member to get re-elected as the president for two consecutive terms of three years each.
The proposal in this regard was approved by the party in its Mumbai meeting in May this year.
This is for the first time that the BJP will allow any of its leaders to hold the party president’s post for two consecutive terms.
Sources said the RSS was ‘adamant’ to give Mr Gadkari a second term even after opposition from some top leaders.
Industrialist-turned-politician Mr Gadkari has transformed himself into a ‘national leader’.
The 55-year-old leader is best known for the works during his tenure as a Public Works Department Minister in Maharashtra when he constructed a series of roads, highways and flyovers across the state.
Starting his political career as a grassroot worker who laid down red carpets prior to party programmes, Mr Gadkari rose to become a national political figure and the BJP national president with exceptional leadership qualities and ability to connect to the common man.
Mr Gadkari was now gearing up to fight the next Lok Sabha elections from his home State Maharashtra.
The BJP’s constitution makes it mandatory that the process for election of national president should start only when organisational elections are over in at least half the State units.
The election for BJP’s national chief was scheduled for end of this year.
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