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The mask comes off

Voters in Madhya Pradesh feel that the judev footage only reflects the true face of politicians, says Lalit Shastri.

THE VIDEO footage, showing the Union Minister of State for Forest and Environment, Dilip Singh Judev, accepting money, which eventually led to his exit from the Union Council of Ministers, has sent shock waves across the Bharatiya Janata Party's rank and file in Madhya Pradesh. The top BJP leaders, campaigning in the State for the December 1 polls, are generally tight-lipped over the episode and comment only when goaded for a response by mediapersons.

No one in the BJP is denying outright the credibility of the Judev footage shown extensively by television channels at a time when the Assembly polls are just round the corner. In the midst of the storm generated by the controversy, the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, said at a press conference in Bhopal that he feels gratified that in this round of elections, the main focus is on "good governance" — something his party had been continuously striving for.

On the Judev episode's adverse impact on his party's poll prospects, especially in view of the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee's assertion at a rally in Jabalpur on November 19 that the country has abundant resources but there is dearth of honesty, Mr. Advani says that honesty and probity in public life is a crucial issue. But he also points to the people being aware of the BJP's response, on the one hand, and the Congress on the other, when confronted with such a situation.

While Mr. Advani told presspersons in Bhopal that the CBI was conducting an inquiry into the episode and that no one had yet "owned responsibility" for it, the Union Law Minister, Arun Jaitley, says the circumstances leading to the Judev episode are shrouded in suspicion. As for its impact on the elections, he says that he will go by the "intelligence and sense of fairness of the Indian electorate''.

The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Digvijay Singh, fighting the Assembly polls in the midst of the anti-incumbency factor, has got some respite from the Judev footage. He is going to town on how it was Bangaru Laxman then, and Mr. Judev now, "caught" in similar circumstances. The BJP, he says, should hang its head in shame. "We all know that corrupt and tainted politicians keep getting elected again and again,'' he adds, hoping corruption will become an issue at least in this round of elections.

A cross-section of voters in Bhopal and surrounding areas seemed generally disenchanted over the episode. Many were unanimous in saying what they had seen on television only reflected the true face of the politicians. Many thought Mr. Judev had been "caught in the act" because he was chosen as the target for the sting operation prior to the December 1 polls. Any spy camera directed elsewhere could have caused as much harm to the other side, it is being pointed out in drawing room circles.

The BJP's image has certainly taken a beating. Some even refer to it jokingly as the Bangaru Judev Party. But its leaders are optimistic that the overall public opinion will not tilt against the party and that the voting pattern will remain unaffected.

The BJP, they say, has demonstrated that it does not tolerate corruption, whereas the Congress shields the corrupt and the guilty. And they point to the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Ajit Jogi, who continues in office despite the charges of forgery against him.

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Stories in this Section

• Brazening it out
• Venality on videotape
• Corruption... a canker no more?
• Small screen magic
• Money matters
• The mask comes off

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