Thakre lambasts Cong, Left
Admits faliure on price front
From Satish Misra
Tribune News Service

JAIPUR, Aug 21 — Accusing the opposition parties of political opportunism, the Bharatiya Janata Party president, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, today asked the party "to be constantly alert" against the "machinations of these disruptionist forces that have neither regard for constitutional niceties nor respect for the people’s mandate".

Addressing the national executive committee meeting of the BJP, Mr Thakre admitted the Vajpayee government’s "shortcomings" on the price front and asked the party cadres particularly the youth and women organisations to help the government in taking stern action against hoarders and profiteers.

Mr Thakre’s address to 130-odd delegates of the party executive, which sounded like an election speech, was a frontal attack on the opposition parties. "The past few weeks have seen the rapid convergence of anti-BJP political parties under the banner of ‘secular forces’. Impatient for power and scornful towards the people’s verdict, these parties are trying to forge yet another unholy alliance. The only thing that brings them together is political opportunism of the worst kind. The Left, as usual, is shamelessly eager to fish in troubled waters."

"We are witness to the strange spectacle of the CPM and the Congress discovering a natural ally in each other; of yesterday’s crusaders against corruption joining hands with some of the most venal politicians; of rank casteist and communal politics being legitimised under the garb of secularism", the BJP president said asking the party to be alert against the machinations of these "disruptionist forces".

"We need to educate the people and mobilise public opinion against the evil designs of these political opportunists. The nation cannot afford yet another spell of political uncertainty and crisis of leadership. To be complacent now could prove dear later — both for us as well as the nation", Mr Thakre said in his one hour long speech.

Speaking on the price rise issue, the BJP president said it would be self-defeating if we were to overlook the shortcomings of this government. "The most miserable shortcoming has been on the price front", he said adding though the government could not be entirely blamed for the ever-rising price index but this "does not absolve the government of its responsibility to guard the price line".

"On the contrary, I call upon the government to take immediate remedial measures so that the mounting pressure on the common man can be eased. In the meanwhile, I call upon all of you to mount vigil against hoarders and black marketeers".

The BJP leader informed the executive that a suitable mechanism for greater coordination between the party organisation and the government as suggested at Gandhinagar in May this year would be in place both at the central as well as the state levels.

Referring to the problems being faced by the BJP-led coalition government on account of its allies, Mr Thakre expressed concern over the apparent lack of a spirit of accommodation among some of the allies.

"I would urge all our allies not to air their perceived grievances or differences in perception through the media", the BJP president said avoiding any direct attack on any of the party’s allies. Instead, he said, these must be referred and addressed at the coordination committee meeting which was an effective mechanism.

"This coalition must succeed not merely because we are leading the coalition, but because what is at stake is national interest", he said adding that "the nation’s and not an individual’s interest should be our guiding spirit".

Describing the resolution of the Cauvery river waters dispute as "the biggest political success" of the government, Mr Thakre said: "I am sure all of us gathered here are proud of the fact that the government overcame the challenge and seized the opportunity to put into practice the politics of consensus as opposed to the politics of conflict in previous years".

Referring to the coming assembly elections, the BJP president said that the meeting was held in the historic city of Jaipur against the backdrop of impending elections to the assembly later this year. "We have to also cope with fresh challenges in the form of upcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. Not only do we have to improve upon our strength in Rajasthan and Delhi where we are in power, but we also have to wrest power from the Congress in Madhya Pradesh", he said.

Later, briefing newspersons about the meeting, the BJP vice-president, Mr K.L. Sharma, said that the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, would address the meeting tomorrow. Mr Vajpayee would address a public meeting in the city before returning to the Capital tomorrow, he said.

Mr Sharma carefully avoided any reply to numerous questions on AIADMK leader Ms Jayalalitha’s comments and expressed hope that all these issues would be amicably resolved and there was no threat to the government.

Sources said it was decided today that the BJP would not say anything which might provoke Ms Jayalalitha to withdraw support.

CBI raids Bihar CM's house

PATNA, Aug 21 (PTI) — Personnel of the CBI today raided the official residence of Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi here in connection with a disproportionate asset case against her husband and Rashtriya Janata Dal President Laloo Prasad Yadav.

The raid followed filing of the case in the court of CBI-Designated Judge S.K. Lal as an offshoot of the fodder scam in which Mr Yadav is one of the main accused.

The case relates to the income tax declaration by Mr Yadav that for construction of a house here he had borrowd Rs 2.5 lakh from his wife who was running a dairy farm when he was the Chief Minister of the state.

However, on subsequent investigation, the CBI and the Income Tax Department reportedly came to the conclusion that much more money was invested on the house the construction of which coincided with the fodder scam involving fraudulent withdrawal of about Rs 1000 crore from different government treasuries by Animal Husbandry officials of Bihar.

Mr Yadav, who was then Chief Minister and held charge of the finance portfolio, had been accused of conspiracy in the case.

As soon as CBI officials descended on the 1, Anne Marg residence of the Chief Minister, which normally is a centre of bustling activity, at around 8 a.m., it was barred to visitors though senior state government and police officials were present.

Mr Yadav himself was away in Delhi and is likely to return here this evening.

Simultaneous raids were also conducted at the premises of Mr Yadav’s close relations including a brother-in-law who is a member of the Bihar Legislative Council.

This is perhaps the first time that such raids have been conducted at the official residence of a chief minister although the case is against her husband and immediate predecessor who stays in the same premises.

The case was filed after an extensive review of investigations by the CBI into the fodder scam by its Joint Director U.N. Biswas a few days after the deadline for the centre to appeal against his exoneration by the Calcutta High Court for seeking the army’s help to arrest Mr Yadav expired.

In the Budget session of Parliament, Mr Yadav, supported by some other opposition parties, had made a vociferous demand from the Centre to appeal against the exoneration of Mr Biswas who had been indicted by the Dorai Committee set up by the United Front government to go into the propriety of his conduct in seeking the Army’s help on reportedly verbal directive of the Patna High Court.

The CBI has so far registered four such cases apart from 49 regular cases in connection with the multi-crore fodder scam.

Of the four regular cases involving conspiracy aspects of fraudulent withdrawals of several crores of rupees from state treasuries, Mr Laloo Yadav has secured bail in three.

Mr Yadav had moved the apex court seeking quashing of a surrender order issued against him by the special court in another case (RC 64/98) that relates to fraudulent drawals of over Rs 97 lakh from the Deoghar Treasury by the state Animal Husbandry Department officials through "fake and forged" bills.

The DA case was instituted in the light of the Patna High Court, which is monitoring the probe into the scam, asking the CBI and Income Tax Department to institute fresh cases, if required, against the accused allegedly accumulating huge wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income.

The CBI has already submitted charge sheets in 19 of the 49 regular cases of the multi-crore scam.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court today extended its interim order staying the arrest of former Chief Ministers of Bihar Laloo Prasad Yadav and Jagannath Mishra and seven other accused in the multi-crore fodder scam case till September 11, when their bail applications would be heard.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice M.M. Punchhi, Mr Justice M. Srinivasan and Mr Justice S. Rajendra Babu extended the interim order while posting the matter before a special Bench headed by Mr Justice M.K. Mukherjee, which was earlier dealing with all fodder scam related cases.

The trial court on July 2 while taking cognizance of the CBI charge sheet had directed Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President Laloo Prasad Yadav to surrender on or before July 27 and issued non-bailable warrants of arrest against Jagannath Mishra, Dr R.K. Rana and Dhruv Bhagat.

Others who got one week’s time to surrender include former Union Minister Chandra Deo Prasad Verma, former Bihar Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) ministers, Bhola Ram Toofani and Vidyasagar Nishad, besides two suppliers to the AHD Sushil Kumar and P.K. Jaiswal.

The Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha deplored the raids and warned that it would oppose such moves being carried with an alleged ulterior motive by the ruling BJP-led coalition at the Centre.

RLM spokesman Amar Singh told a press conference that the morcha would take the matter to streets, legislative assemblies and Parliament.

TNS adds: The Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha (RLM) leader and Mr Yadav today criticised the raids, describing them as one out of "sheer political vendetta".

Speaking to newsmen here, the RJD chief said that the timing of the raids was significant. They had come just a day after the morcha’s rally at Ahmedabad and had been done with the idea of insulting his party’s government in the state, he said.

While vowing to avenge these raids, the former Bihar Chief Minister accused the BJP, the Samata Party and the RSS of being the brain behind them. He said that it was highly surprising that the CBI had raided the official residence of a woman Chief Minister who was not accused in the fodder scam.

When asked specifically about the reason behind the raids, Mr Yadav said, "perhaps, the Vajpayee government at the Centre was trying to avenge the arrest of Mr L.K. Advani in Bihar during his Chief Ministership". He said that there could be another reason that of diverting his concentration from the Morcha’s Mumbai rally which was scheduled for next month.