New Delhi, May 17
The BJP-led NDA today decided to ignite people’s emotions on Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin issue and announced the boycott of the swearing-in ceremony of the new coalition.
After marathon meetings involving Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and NDA Convener George Fernandes, BJP President M Venkaiah Naidu charged the Congress with taking the “country for a ride” as it had not projected Sonia Gandhi as its prime ministerial candidate.
“It is a black day in the history of independent India. It is the feeling of BJP,” Mr Naidu stated.
“People of this country are terribly pained, anguished and hurt on this decision of the Congress and its allies to chose her as their leader. Had it been any other leader, we would have had no problem. We will not be attending the swearing-in ceremony to express popular sentiments,” Mr Naidu told newspersons outside 7, Race Course Road after two rounds of informal NDA meetings.
He, however, said, “parties who believe in democracy, there is no question of boycotting this government. Moreover, in keeping with the tradition, Mr Vajpayee will be attending the swearing-in ceremony.”
The BJP chief said the alliance had decided to “play the role of a constructive opposition but we are not going to leave this issue of foreign origin. We are going to keep this issue alive.”
Dismissing reports that the party was planning a countrywide agitation on the issue, he said, “We will fight out the issue in and outside Parliament.”
The first meeting was held at the residence of Mr Naidu and the second at Mr Vajpayee’s residence. Together, the two meetings lasted over three hours.
Outgoing Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma and BJP leader Arun Jaitley besides NDA Convener George Fernandes were present at the meetings.
Mr Naidu said the NDA “humbly accepted” the verdict against the NDA, but maintained that the Congress-led alliance did not have the people’s mandate to occupy the Treasury Benches in Parliament.
The Congress and its pre-election allies totalled to only 213 MPs vis-a-vis 187 MPs of the NDA. “It is the support of the Left parties and the Samajwadi Party that has brought the Congress to power although they fought against each other in the elections,” he said. Nonetheless, the NDA MPs would function as a “constructive opposition”.
Stating that the BJP and the NDA were “not personally against” Ms Gandhi, Mr Naidu recalled that the Congress did not project her as its prime ministerial candidate in the elections. “This is nothing but self-deception.”
The NDA leaders also discussed the statement of senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj to quit her Rajya Sabha seat in protest against the foreign-born Congress chief becoming the next Prime Minister. “That is a personal decision. We (BJP) will not stop her from protesting,” Mr Naidu said.
A decision to focus on Ms Gandhi’s foreign origin was taken jointly by the RSS and the BJP leaders, sources said pointed out saying that different Sangh parivar outfits had been asked to rake up the issue.
Former BJP General Secretary K N Govindacharya, who had been sidelined during the tenure of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was asked by the RSS to lead a nation-wide movement on the issue.
