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Onkar Singh & Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi
Except one pretty black cat, there is not a soul in the compound of 3, Kushak Road, New Delhi -- the residence of former president of the Bharatiya Janata Party Bangaru Laxman. It's late afternoon and his party's best brains are discussing how to steer clear of an unprecedented crisis -- a situation of Laxman's creation. The first national executive meeting of the BJP after the tehelka.com expose on corruption in defence deals is in session just a few kilometres away and Bangaru Laxman is sitting alone in his deserted house.
His eyes get moist when asked if he is feeling sad? How come he was so careless in accepting money from strangers?
"What can you do if someone thrusts money into your hands. I have hundreds of people meeting me every day. They all want to donate money to the party. Some give a few hundred bucks, others a few thousand. People compliment me on becoming the party president and offer donations. People come home and donate money. I don't have anyone to take care of donations here. At the office I do ask people to deposit their donations at the counter.
But was the money he accepted from Tehelka reporters meant for the party? If it was, why does he not show the receipt of the donation?
See, the government has instituted an inquiry and I will have to answer all these questions there. However, it is unfortunate the way the media is projecting things. I want to ask what is the deal? Which vital information of the country have I leaked? All that the Tehelka tapes show is that some people wined and dined and after downing a couple of drinks indulged in some loose talk. What is their credibility?
The main issue is party funding. There I agree we need to do some thinking. We shall discuss, the country shall discuss, who should accept party funds and how. But where is the defence angle in this? They are calling it a defence scandal? Can it be called a scandal at all? Over Rs 1 billion were paid to import urea, not one gram of urea has yet been received. That is called a scandal.
Who introduced him to the Tehelka reporters?
My doors are always open. Anybody can meet me without an appointment.
The national executive of his party is debating his act of indiscretion. How does it feel?
Every problem looks unsurmountable initially. Kuch nahi hoga (nothing will happen). When allegations were made against Advani, party felt the jolt...it was called unprecedented...his involvement in Hawala. The impact of that visual (in Tekehla tapes) is not going to sustain for long.
Is he not feeling sad?
Yes, udas is bat se ho gaye hai ki hum victim ho gaye (Yes, I am sad because I have been victimised).
Some Congressmen are demanding legal action against him under the Anti-corruption Act?
What corruption? Is it a crime to collect funds for one's party? Are they (the Congressmen) going to decide what is corruption? Is Bofors not corruption? Was the urea scam not corruption? Let anyone run a party without accepting donations. One cut-out of a leader costs Rs 25,000 to 100,000 and here we are talking of thousands of cut-outs. Government is not funding party campaigns. The money is not dropping from the sky above. See, the guy who gets caught is a thief and the rest are saints, right? [Laxman gets up, indicating that the unscheduled meeting is over. He leaves the room, but returns after a short while.]
How has his wife Susheela taken it?
She understands who is right and who is not.
Does he think there is someone behind all this?
I have no doubt.
And whom does he suspect?
Mathew Samuel (tehelka reporter) is connected to the Congress leader Vyalar Ravi's office. He once lived in Vincent George's (Sonia Gandhi's personal secretary) flat!
[Another journalist arrives to meet Laxman and we leave the man, who would have presided over the BJP national executive if the Tehelka expose had not changed his life forever, to answer some more questions.]
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