The Hindu : BJP complains to EC on advertisement against Vajpayee

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 30, 2004

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National

BJP complains to EC on advertisement against Vajpayee

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI, MARCH 29. The Bharatiya Janata Party today complained in writing to the Election Commission about an advertisement that has been telecast on several channels displaying the "letter" written by the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to the British way back in 1942 suggesting that he was a "police informer."

The party said the advertisement, placed by the Sajhi Virasat Trust, had made "completely false and slanderous allegations against the Honourable Prime Minister of India." It said "this advertisement has referred to him [Vajpayee] by name and called him an informer."

The BJP said this advertisement and two others in which some persons expressed their dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in the country were "violative of the model code of conduct." The party sought "immediate action in the matter."

The BJP general secretary, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, told reporters at a briefing that "the Congress was indulging in this misinformation campaign" against Mr. Vajpayee. He said that Mr. Vajpayee was only "about 17 years old at that time" and it was a "wrong allegation'' that he had apologised to the British.

Asked what was the action against the British in which Mr. Vajpayee and the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, had taken part, he said: "I will tell you later."

Earlier, Mr. Naqvi charged the Congress with once again raking up the "old and tired" communalism versus secularism plank, as it had no other issue. Instead, the party should do some introspection on why in 1996, in 1998 and again in 1999, the people had rejected it. He added: "Now they will get five more years for introspection."

He warned that the open "pressure" being brought upon the Congress by some Muslim organisations — their leaders met the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, on Sunday — would have the effect of polarising votes along Hindu-Muslim lines. "People want progress and prosperity. They do not want to talk about secularism and communalism,'' he said.

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