Laxman ousts Jain from party post

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI, JAN. 4. The unceremonious ouster of Dr. J.K. Jain (of Jain TV fame) from the national executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party by the party president, Mr. Bangaru Laxman, last night is threatening to bring out into the open the big fight that is taking place between this powerful member of the party and the Prime Minister's Principal Adviser, Mr. Brajesh Mishra. And the controversy overshadowed the deliberations of the BJP's national executive committee here today.

Dr. Jain's television channel is planning to telecast tomorrow evening at 7.30 p.m. the first part of a serialised ``exposure'' of Mr. Mishra who Dr. Jain suspects was the inspiration behind an alleged RAW report suggesting that Dr. Jain may have links with the ISI.

The immediate cause of Dr. Jain's exit from the national executive was a legal notice dated December 27, 2000, served by him on the Prime Minister, Mr. Mishra, the Cabinet Secretary, the Secretary of Home Affairs, the Director of RAW and the Director of the Intelligence Bureau. The notice demanded an unqualified written apology for the ``false, scandalous defamatory act done through the abuse and misuse of RAW,'' and it also demanded the ouster of Mr. Mishra from the position of Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, and the sacking of Director of RAW (the former RAW Director is now an official in the Prime Minister's Office).

The sudden decision of Mr. Laxman to throw Dr. Jain out of the national executive was taken a day before the executive was meeting here. And as Mr. Laxman himself has admitted yesterday he and Dr. Jain had a long meeting discussing the ins and outs of the controversy between him and Mr. Brajesh Mishra, triggered by the alleged RAW report.

In a letter to Dr. Jain last night, Mr. Laxman said: ``Today I am given to understand that you have sent a lawyer notice to the respected Prime Minister. I consider this as a step that is not to be taken even by a primary member of the party, let alone a member of the national executive.'' Therefore, Mr. Laxman went on to say, Dr. Jain was being dropped from the executive immediately and any invitation to him asking him to attend the deliberations stands withdrawn.

Officially the party did not want to comment on the affair. It pointed out that the executive is a body nominated by the party president and at any time he can drop any member. When the party spokesperson, Mr. Jana Krishnamurthi, was asked whether his ouster from the executive was a signal of confirmation of the alleged RAW report, he said: ``Dropping of Dr. Jain from the executive committee does not necessarily show that the RAW report was correct.''

Dr. Jain had this story to tell: ``I approached everyone I could. All that I wanted is that the Government should order a probe on how and why and on what basis the alleged RAW report was filed. I told the highest authorities that if it was established that I had ISI links, please hang me, if there was no basis for the report, please clear my name and fix responsibility for how the report came about. But nothing has happened. I had no other avenue left to clear my name except the legal one, hence the legal notice.''

In his response to Mr. Laxman's letter dropping him from the executive, Dr. Jain questioned the wisdom of taking action against him simply because he was trying to ``vindicate his honour by recourse to a court of law'' when no other avenue was open to him. Dr. Jain also warned Mr. Laxman that by taking action against him he was in contempt of the judicial process and could invite contempt proceedings.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Front Page
Previous : No-trust vote fails in Nepal
Next     : Qureshi back in Tihar Jail