The Hindu : No misuse of CBI: Mahajan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 22, 2003

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National

No misuse of CBI: Mahajan

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR JULY 21. The BJP general secretary, Pramod Mahajan, today refuted the Opposition charge that the Centre "misused" the CBI for getting the conspiracy charges against the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, the Human Resource Development Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, and party leader, Uma Bharti, in the Babri Masjid demolition case "dropped".

"If the Government led by Atal Behari Vajpayee had intentions of misusing the CBI, the case itself would not have been there for five years," Mr. Mahajan, who was here to address the divisional meeting of party workers, said reacting to questions from newspersons on the charges made in Parliament today by the Opposition.

"Even after Advaniji remaining the Union Home Minister for the past five years the cases were not withdrawn. Generally when someone comes to power all the cases pending against him are withdrawn,'' Mr.Mahajan said. The Congress raised a "hue and cry" because that party used to do it in the past when it was in power. "It is an old habit for the Congress," he charged.

Mr. Mahajan termed the Congress spokesperson, Jaipal Reddy's suggestion to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, to take "vanaprastha" (retirement) as admission by the Congress that as long as he (Mr. Vajpayee) was there at the helm, Sonia Gandhi could not become the Prime Minister. Referring to the Congress observation that Mr.Vajpayee had grown too old, Mr. Mahajan said, "at this age too he works more than anyone else".

The new women's reservation bill — for double-member constituencies — should be acceptable to the sitting MPs as it did not create the fear of displacement by women among them.

However, he conceded that there was no consensus though the big parties had not yet reacted to it.

"As for the BJP, the party is serious about the new bill,'' he said referring to the resolution at the just-concluded Raipur meeting of the party which promised creation of 181 double seats in the Lok Sabha for women. "The previous Women's Reservation Bill is also good if one can get it passed," he noted.

Asked about seeking a consensus on 25 per cent reservation to women, Mr. Mahajan said, "I would like to advise them as Balgangadhar Tilak did once by telling — "take whatever is offered now. Fight for the rest later".

Mr. Mahajan refused to comment on the contentious issue of reservation to the poor among the forward castes.

"The Raipur meeting did not discuss it," he said even as mediapersons drew his attention to the 10-day ultimatum given by the Social Justice Front, spearheading an agitation on the issue. "I will cross the bridge when I come to it," he said.

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