Party has not learnt any lesson, says Advani & Co.
Party emasculated in 1 year, forced to kow-tow to a handful
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to light this Diwali with a sweet offer of FDI reforms, the older guard of BJP elder statesmen delivered a wet cracker. In a joint statement, senior BJP leaders L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Yashwant Sihna and Shanta Kumar delivered a body blow to Mr Modi and BJP president Amit Shah in the wake of the party’s defeat in the Bihar elections.
The statement spoke of “emasculation” of the party that sought to project a masculine image of power and authority since coming to power last year.
The old saffron warhorses, who were marginalised and put into the “Margdarshak Mandal”, timed their blow at a time when Prime Minister Modi and his close aide, the BJP president, were drenched in defeat and looking for a way out to pass the buck. Late on Tuesday night the BJP issued a statement that the party would “welcome any guidance and suggestions by seniors”.
The veteran leaders launched a frontal attack on Modi-Shah duo (without naming them) for the Bihar fiasco. In a scathing attack, the statement read: “The results of the Bihar election show that no lesson has been learnt from the fiasco in Delhi.”
Madikeri (Karnataka), Nov. 10: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has defended the government’s decision to commemorate his birth anniversary even as he slammed RSS and “other communal forces” for opposing it.
Mangaluru United Christian Association, too, has protested against the celebrations, alleging that Tipu was responsible for the destruction of many churches in the coastal region and also that Christians were harassed under his rule.
Reacting to the flare-up, Mr Siddaramaiah blamed the bandh call for it, saying it was an attempt to create disturbance and law and order problem and hamper peace.
“There was no mistake on the part of the government. They should not have called a bandh,” he said.
He said Kuttappa died because he fell while running, “not because of stone pelting or lathicharge”.
“The situation is under control and police bandobast has been strengthened. ADGP law and order is at the spot, IG is also there... Situation is totally under control,” he said.
On BJP’s charge of holding the government responsible, he said, “They are the ones who are responsible. They have tried to disturb (Tipu) Jayanti celebrations organised by the government by organising bandh, by staging protest...”
Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Tuesday described the death of its leader Kuttappa during clashes at a town in Karnataka as “brutal killing” and asked the Centre to “protect Hindus against such acts of religious intolerance”.
“We condemn the brutal killing of a Hindu, staging a peaceful demonstration, by a mob,” VHP international working president Praveen Togadia said in a statement.
JD-U launched a hardhitting attack on the BJP over the mishap saying the saffron party has “not learnt any lesson.
“In spite of “humiliating” defeat of NDA in the recent election of Bihar Assembly, the communal forces connected with BJP have not learnt a lesson,” said Sharad Yadav.