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Disgraced former Bharatiya Janata Party president Bangaru Laxman, forced into virtual oblivion after he was secretly filmed taking bribes, is inching back to a political revival.
After lying dormant for five months following the corruption scandal, Laxman, 62, has resurfaced as the head of the official Indian delegation to the eight-day World Conference on Racism that begins Friday in Durban in South Africa.
"I am happy I have been considered for this role," Laxman told IANS ahead of the nine-MP team's departure. "The truth that the corruption scandal falsely implicated me is slowly unravelling. I am on my way back."
A political lightweight, Laxman came to the limelight last year after he was elected the BJP president at the instance of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. But he quit in humiliation March 13 after Internet portal tehelka.com aired videotapes showing him take wads of money, allegedly to fix military deals.
Two Tehelka reporters, who met Laxman posing as arms dealers, filmed him quietly as he took the bribe. Laxman denied taking the bribe and said the cash was a donation for the party. But television images showing him stash away the money, beamed into millions of homes, triggered public outrage.
Other bigwigs scalped by the scam included defence minister George Fernandes and his confidant and Samata Party president Jaya Jaitly. It had been widely believed that Laxman would not be able to bounce back until a judicial probe under way into the scandal gets over.
Also implicated in the scandal are army officers and defence ministry officials. The scandal badly damaged the Vajpayee government's reputation.
Laxman's revival comes a week after a newspaper reported that Tehelka used prostitutes to trap three of the army officers. Amid all-round criticism of the portal for adopting "unethical" means, Laxman broke his five-month silence to mount a counter-offensive.
But Laxman acknowledged he had little idea about his brief for the Durban meet. "I don't know if I would make a speech at the conference."
Laxman's choice was also reportedly influenced by the fact that he is a Dalit.
Sources said the government expects Laxman to counter non-governmental groups that are likely to use the conference to argue that caste-based discrimination and exploitation are rampant in India.
Another reason for Laxman's choice is the BJP's need to woo the underprivileged communities.
"The BJP needs a recognisable, credible Dalit face to influence the votes of these castes," analyst Mahesh Rangarajan said. "The compulsions of politics are forcing the party to revive Laxman."
Indo-Asian News Service
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