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BJP not depleted by ministry-formation, says Thakre

The Bharatiya Janata Party will not suffer due to several of its front-ranking leaders having joined the A B Vajpayee government, its president-elect Kushabhau Thakre asserted in New Delhi today.

Thakre said there was no dearth of talent in the party and he was confident that the new set-up would be able to assist the Vajpayee government in a positive manner.

He assured that the BJP would never put any hurdles in the smooth running of the Vajpayee government, whether it be for a ministerial berth or removal of a BJP minister on the basis of any chargesheet.

Thakre maintained that the BJP was an independent body and not guided by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in its day-to-day functioning. He said there was a wrong notion among a section of the people that the RSS gave directives to the BJP at every stage.

Replying to questions, he said the new set-up of office-bearers would be finalised within a month after he formally took over on May 3 at the national council meeting of the party at Gandhinagar.

Since Andhra Pradesh and Bihar presidents of the party had joined the cabinet, their replacements would also be finalised, and is likely to be on an ad-hoc basis.

Thakre said it was imperative that the government acquitted itself creditably at the Centre. The previous governments of the United Front and Congress had failed and this can be confirmed by the common man. The people had certain expectations from the BJP and he was confident that the Vajpayee government would come up to their expectations.

He pointed out that the BJP was not in a position to form a government on its own. It took the help of some 15 to 16 parties to provide a coalition government in deference to the wishes of the people who did not want any immediate election. ''At least the BJP will never be a cause of embarrassment for Vajpayee'', he added.

He, however, avoided direct replies to questions relating to the demand by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo Jayalalitha that ministers who have been chargesheeted be dropped from the cabinet.

While maintaining that the party would not interfere in the working of the government, Thakre did not think that the government would invoke Article 356 to dismiss the Bihar government.

Though the Rabri Devi government had failed to maintain law and order and run the government efficiently, he was against dismissal of the government by invoking the Article.

It had been ''misused more than used in the past'', he said, and added that the government should resort to some other remedial measures. He, however, did not elaborate.

Thakre asserted that the BJP and the government did not have any hidden agenda. ''There is only one agenda and that is the national agenda for governance and the party would fully back it''.

On the corruption issue, he said there was need to differentiate between the political cases and those of moral turpitude. He referred to the case filed against his predecessor L K Advani ''out of political vendetta''. The Lok Pal bill, intended to be brought out by the government, would take care of such charges, he added.

UNI

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