The Hindu : BJP pressure on Joshi to withdraw resignation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 21, 2003

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BJP pressure on Joshi to withdraw resignation

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI SEPT. 20. The Bharatiya Janata Party has virtually cornered the Human Resource Development Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, asking him to "withdraw" his resignation tendered to the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on Friday. The view openly articulated was that the party had decided, well before the Rae Bareli court order, that no one need resign from his or her position if chargesheeted. What was not said openly, but clearly implied, was that by resigning Dr. Joshi had violated the "party line."

The word from the Prime Minister was that Dr. Joshi "had acted in haste" — the party was confident that Mr. Vajpayee would "sort out the matter" after his return from New York. In Mumbai, the BJP president, M. Venkaiah Naidu, said: "We will convince him (Joshi) to withdraw (his resignation)." The party spokesperson here, Prakash Javadekar, emphasised that the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, and Mr. Naidu had earlier conveyed to Dr. Joshi that there was no need for anyone to resign.

Surprisingly, almost no one from the party visited Dr. Joshi yesterday or today. He did get telephone calls from Mr. Advani, Mr. Naidu and some senior Sangh Parivar leaders, but the only Minister to visit him was Ravi Shankar Prasad, who had been specifically sent to tell him to withdraw his resignation.

The Union Law Minister, Arun Jaitley, today made light of the charges against the seven BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders. He told reporters that it was "only a case of an unlawful assembly and Section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot)" and not a case of "moral turpitude or corruption." Other party leaders indicated that they would appeal against the Rae Bareli court order before October 10, when the accused are to be present for the framing of charges. "We are hopeful that all of them will be discharged," a party leader said. "That was another reason why Dr. Joshi should not have resigned."

In the days prior to the Rae Bareli court order, the party held several strategy meetings — at the residences of Mr. Naidu and Mr. Advani, including a meeting on Friday morning before the court order was pronounced. Although Dr. Joshi — described by the party spokesperson as a very senior leader — was an affected person, he was not invited for these meetings. The party's view is that by resigning Dr. Joshi has made the party position — that the Babri demolition case is politically motivated — untenable. Moreover, if he insisted on remaining outside the Cabinet, with what face could the BJP continue to project Uma Bharti, also chargesheeted in the same case, as a chief ministerial candidate?

Several Sangh Parivar leaders have congratulated Dr. Joshi for his stand and he is seen as having occupied the high moral ground, which is not to the liking of a powerful camp in the party that is decidedly anti-Joshi. It is expected that the confusion, bordering on an all-out faction fight, will clear up only after Mr. Vajpayee's return.

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