BJP sees plot to topple Govt.

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, MARCH 19. The BJP State president, Mr. C.K. Padmanabhan, has said that his party will launch a week-long campaign from March 20 calling upon the people to be vigilant on a conspiracy against the NDA Government at the Centre.

Addressing a press conference here today, the BJP leader said that Tehelka.com `expose' was the result of an international conspiracy hatched by the Congress and the CPI(M). They were not allowing Parliament, which was the sanctum sanctorum of democracy, to function and instead were taking the issue to the streets. If this continued, the BJP would be ready to fight it out on the streets, he threatened.

Demonstrations, public meetings and rallies would be organised in connection with the observation of the `Vigilance Week' at the panchayat, constituency and district levels, he said.

The ``fictitious arms deal'' had been brought in to derail the efforts of Mr. Vajpayee to get the Italian businessman, Mr. Ottavio Quattrocchi, extradited to India in the Bofors case. The arrest of Mr. Quattrocchi would be problematic for many in the Opposition.

He said the Union Government and the BJP were prepared to order any kind of inquiry into the allegations. The Opposition should have shown willingness to discuss the issues in Parliament.

He claimed that Tehelka.com had lost its credibility as a result of the apology tendered by its editor-in-chief to Advani. The antecedents of Mr. Mathew Samuel, whom the editor described as loose-tongued, was not good. He had been ousted from the Youth Congress in the past, he alleged.

Mr. Padmanabhan claimed that the money received by Mr. Bangaru Laxman was for the party fund and denied that Mr. Laxman had asked for dollars.

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Section  : Southern States
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