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Monday, Oct 29, 2007
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BJP indulging in doublespeak: Govindacharya

Varanasi: The former general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party, K.N. Govindacharya, has said that if the saffron party wants to prove it is a party with a difference then it must “expel” all its top leaders, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L.K. Advani on the Ram Sethu issue as the decision to destroy the mythological bridge was taken by the National Democratic Alliance government.

Mr. Govindacharya, who is the founder of ‘Bharat Vikash Samaj’, told PTI that the decision to destroy the historic bridge and construct a canal was actually taken by the BJP-led NDA government and the present United Progressive Alliance government was just trying to execute the same.

He said the BJP was engaged in doublespeak by projecting itself as a saviour of the bridge, while the “actual sin was performed by it only.”

The then BJP Minister Vijay Goel had mooted the idea to destroy the Sethu and then the Shipping Ministry under BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha had finally approved the project and sent the same to the Cabinet for approval, Mr. Govindacharya said. “So how can they disown the responsibility now?”

Asked whether the Congress was a better party than the BJP, Mr. Govindacharya said there was hardly any difference in the character of both the parties.

On the Ram Sethu, he said, “Samridhi ke liye sanskriti ka vinash awashyak nahi hai (it is not necessary to destroy the culture for prosperity).”

He said the proposal to construct a canal destroying the Ram Sethu would have been passed by Mr. Vajpayee-led Cabinet at the end of 2003 itself had the announcement for the general elections not come in the way. — PTI

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