The Hindu : New Delhi News : Shekhawat throws his hat in the ring

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Shekhawat throws his hat in the ring

Neena Vyas

– PHOTO: V. SUDERSHAN

IN THE RACE: Former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party was engaged in high-level confabulations here on Thursday evening to deal with the crisis created by the former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.

Mr. Shekhawat has made clear his intention to contest the coming Lok Sabha election, provided his health continues to be as good as it is, and refused to endorse L.K. Advani as the natural choice for prime ministership. He repeatedly indicated that he was not averse to accepting responsibility as Prime Minister if such an opportunity presented itself.

During his visit here — he arrived on Wednesday night — Mr. Shekhawat said he was not able to meet the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was not well, but added that he would be doing so very soon. Mr. Shekhawat plans to leave for Jaipur on Friday but would be back here on Monday.

Mr. Shekhawat has put the party on the back foot not only on the issue of prime ministerial candidate, but also on corruption.

Corruption charges

He told journalists here on Thursday that he had written to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot demanding registration of police cases against the former Vasundhara Raje government for corruption charges to the tune of Rs.22,000 crore.

He said a probe by a commission of inquiry would amount to justice delayed and justice denied.

He linked his decision to contest the Lok Sabha election to a desire to fight corruption, which was making India’s democracy and its political parties irrelevant.

He reiterated his charge that seats were sold in the BJP during the recent Rajasthan Assembly elections. He claimed that senior leader Jaswant Singh was one with him over corruption in the Raje government.

Party insiders said Mr. Shekhawat was unhappy with the way the BJP leadership — Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani and BJP president Rajnath Singh — dealt with corruption charges against Ms. Raje well before the Assembly elections.

Mr. Rajnath Singh and Mr. Jaswant Singh met him on Thursday evening at Mr. Jaswant Singh’s residence and Mr. Rajnath Singh is believed to have told him that his (Mr. Rajnath Singh’s) comments about Mr. Shekhawat were not made with any feeling of ill-will.

Earlier, talking to journalists, Mr. Shekhawat made it clear that in his view the question who would be the Prime Minister in the event of the National Democratic Alliance winning would be decided later. “Yeh to baad ki baat hai. Pehle to Lok Sabha laden aur jeeten. [First we have to contest and win the election],” he said.

Later, he said it was for “others” and the “people” to decide who would be a better Prime Minister.

Mr. Shekhawat said he was not consulted when the BJP decided to project Mr. Advani as its prime ministerial candidate. However, party spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said the issue was closed. Mr. Advani as the prime ministerial candidate was decided by the party’s Parliamentary Board, approved by the National Council and endorsed by its allies in the NDA.

Asked whether his contesting the Lok Sabha election would send a wrong signal as far as the party’s prime ministerial candidate was concerned, Mr. Shekhawat said Mr. Advani would not be the only party candidate in the election. After all, many other leaders, including Mr. Rajnath Singh would be contesting.

“Decades-old ties”

Mr. Shekhawat said he was not targeting the BJP at all; his aim was to strengthen the party and the country. At the same time, he said Mr. Vajpayee, Mr. Advani and he had a “family-like relationship”. He pointed to an old photograph showing him and Mr. Vajpayee seated alongside and Mr. Advani standing behind them.

“Our decades-old relationship remains the same. There is no change. Mr. Advani and Mr. Vajpayee cannot be against me, and I cannot be against them.”

Asked about Mr. Rajnath Singh’s comments that a person who took bath in the Ganges need not swim in a well — that is, those who have held a high position like that of Vice-President should not contest to be an MP — Mr. Shekhawat said he had bathed many times in the Ganges and in local wells too.

He added that he was in politics since 1952 when, perhaps, Mr. Rajnath Singh was not even born. “It will take him many more years to properly understand the party.”

That was before his meeting with Mr. Rajnath Singh in the evening.

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