BJP chief firm not to give Modi's head

Sandesh Prabhudesai
12 April 2002  

Bharatiya Janata Party president Jana Krishnamurthy has once again given a clean chit to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, condemning strongly hue and cry of those who are demanding Modi's head.

In his inaugural speech at the three-day national executive, which began in Goa today, the saffron party chief lashed out at the Congress and other opponents, stating that their role during communal violence in Gujarat is condemnable.

"The nation needs to be saved from these factors whose only aim seems to be to destabilise the BJP government when the situation demanded the co-operation of every one to restore normalcy in a riot-prone state", he said.

After opening the meet, which is expected to have a heated debate also on the handling of the Gujarat situation, Krishnamurthy equally blamed the opposition for playing demoralising role by discrediting those who were carrying out their responsibility sincerely to contain the situation.

Giving a different dimension to the series of communal attacks on minorities that followed the Godhra incident in which the Hindu karsevaks were burnt down, the veteran BJP leader said the effort has been so far mainly remained in advising and attacking the 'provoked'.

"This has given rise to a psychology amidst the provoked that it is the victim in every sense. The only solution to this vexed problem that the state as well as society should come down on those who take initiative in 'provoking', without appeasement of anyone, and punish them", said the saffron leader.

Without making any mention of the recent outbursts of the NDA allies who have also demanded Modi's resignation, the BJP leader said the NDA can remain inseparable as long as mutual trust, mutual confidence and mutual relationship remain intact under all circumstances.

"I would like to stress this aspect also and assure our allies that BJP has such a trust, confidence and relationship in the rest", stated Jana Krishnamurthy.

To strengthen the NDA, he also appealed to the delegates to strengthen the BJP in every sense of the term, without getting disheartened with the recent electoral setback. Calling it a temporary phenomena, he urged the need to reassess the situation, reassert stands on various issues and re-evaluate its strengths and weaknesses.

Jana Krishnamurthy accused the ISI for perpetrating the incidents of Godhra or attacking devotees in Jammu and called upon to expose and thoroughly smash the ISI network in the country. Ruling out dialogue with Pakistan in such a situation, he felt that General Musharraf's duplicity in now quite apparent even to the USA.

"His 12 January speech was merely a ploy to hoodwink the international community", he said, citing incidents of refusing to hand over Daniel Pearl's abductor to the US and flatly rejecting US advise to comply with Indian demand to hand over 20 most wanted terrorists, who have been given refuge in Pakistan.

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