New Delhi, February 23
The Congress is in for another setback. Having failed to dissuade former Union Minister Arif Mohammad Khan from joining the BJP, it is now faced with the prospect of losing another prominent Muslim leader — Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson Najma Heptulla — to its political rival.
Mr Khan is all set to join the BJP tomorrow along with sitting Congress MP Lakshman Singh, brother of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh.
Today, however, it was the turn of Congress MP and long-time Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson, Ms Najma Heptulla, to come out openly against the Congress leadership.
Mr Heptulla hinted at joining the BJP when she told a local news channel that “the problem is not with the party, but with the party leadership. The present Congress leadership has moved away from the ideology of Nehru, Azad, Patel and Gandhi. This is not a leadership I can trust.”
Going a step further, Ms Heptulla accused Congress President Sonia Gandhi of humiliating
her and stated that she had implicit faith and trust in Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s leadership. “It seems there is no respect left for senior leaders and for party workers in the Congress.
When I was elected chairperson of the International Parliamentarians Union, Mrs Gandhi didn’t even bother to call me. I have been subject to all kinds of humiliation over these last few years,” she added.
Ms Heptulla has been drifting away from the Congress and towards the BJP for quite some time. The BJP, on its part, has also been wooing, having given her charge of the prestigious Indian Council of Cultural Affairs (ICCR). More recently, she was especially nominated by the Prime Minister to represent India at a special conference in Pakistan. She is also tipped to be the BJP’s choice for the one vacant seat in the Rajya Sabha meant for nominated persons as her term is due to end soon.
Mr Vajpayee, according to her, is a leader who thinks about the nation.
