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BJP gears up to face Cong challenge on communalism

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The Bharatiya Janata Party is gearing up to face a challenge from the Congress, which has constituted a three-member committee, to probe recent attacks on Christians.

The Congress move has indicated that neither is willing to give up their attempts at political point-scoring.

"We are determined to nail the communal BJP's hidden agenda, which is consistently inspiring communal attacks on minorities, especially Christians. Party chief Sonia Gandhi has taken grave exception to such attacks and has constituted a committee to find out the truth and report back to her," Congress spokesman Ajit Jogi told rediff.com.

The Congress determination to collar the BJP on the communal issue follows the saffron party's announcement of plans to observe the 25th anniversary of the Emergency, clamped by Indira Gandhi, to highlight its excesses.

Union Home Minister L K Advani will address a convention of those arrested during the Emergency at Talkatora stadium, on its anniversary, on June 25. The next day, he will address a meeting in Ahmedabad, along with BJP chief Kushabhau Thakre. Similar programmes have been planned in Patna, Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram, Madras, Bangalore, Bhopal and Jaipur.

However, the appointment of the committee has put the BJP on the defensive. BJP general secretary and party spokesman M Venkaiah Naidu dismissed suggestions that the attacks had emanated from the BJP.

Naidu contended that "it has become a fashion to blame the BJP for such incidents". For good measure, he pointed out, "Christian organisations have been conducting a hate campaign against Hindu Gods."

However, the committee, comprising party leaders F M Khan, Anil Shastri and Jogi, has been entrusted with fixing responsibility on who were the culprits.

"The Sangh Parivar's hidden agenda has been manifested ever since Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two children were murdered in a cowardly manner in Orissa. Thereafter, the Bajrang Dal and other constituents of the Sangh Parivar have carried out similar communal attacks. The latest attacks appear to be the handiwork of these very people," Jogi claimed.

He indicated that residents of Ongole and Tadepalligudem in Andhra Pradesh were keen to divulge information on attacks on the Christian community and "we will not spare any efforts to nail the perpetrators of these cowardly attacks".

Significantly, the Congress perception that it can humiliate and 'expose' the BJP-led government on the issue of communalism has been buttressed by various representations, which the party leadership has received following the attacks. Archbishop of Delhi, Rev Alan de Lastic has appraised Prime Minister A B Vajpayee of his concern on the attacks and the Congress is at the forefront of 'secular' parties determined to safeguard the welfare of minorities.

Congress general secretary Ambika Soni said, "These attacks can no longer be treated as isolated cases, as their rapidity is increasing. Our party is committed to safeguarding the interests of minorities and, therefore, we have accorded them the importance and priority they deserve."

That the BJP leadership is worried about the fallout of the attacks is apparent from the way some have reacted. BJP vice-president K Jana Krishnamurthy sought to defend the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which is also being blamed for the attacks. Krishnamurthy said, "It (the RSS) never uses such methods (of attack ). Even if one or two workers of the organisation are found involved, one cannot say that the RSS or Vishwa Hindu Parishad are involved unless it is proved that an RSS unit ordered its workers to carry out the attack."

The VHP and RSS were quick to attribute the attacks as being the handiwork of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. But the Congress said it will not be distracted from its mission of exposing the perpetrators.

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