Both the BJP and its spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy, today got into damage—control mode following a huge embarrassment to the organisation after his reported remarks that he was opposed to the party tying up with the JMM to form a coalition government in Jharkhand.
Under attack over the tie-up decision, BJP President Nitin Gadkari, went a step further to say that it was the Congress and not not JMM chief Shibu Soren, who was responsible for corruption in politics.
Mr. Rudy, who had at a meeting of the BJP’s students wing in Kolkata on December 26 expressed reservations over the party aligning with Mr. Soren, sought to wriggle out of the controversy triggered by his remarks.
He said his statement that the BJP should sit in the opposition in Jharkhand were his personal opinion made before the alliance with JMM was formed. He agreed with the leadership’s decision on the issue.
The Rajya Sabha member maintained that at that juncture, the BJP Parliamentary Board in Delhi was exploring three options: staying out of government and sitting in the opposition, supporting the government from outside, and joining and being part of the government.
“The decision to opt any one of them was left to the central leadership visiting Jharkhand and consultation with the state leadership,” he said.
Keywords: BJP, Rudy damage-control, Jharkhand, embarrassment, JMM, Nitin Gadkari, Shibu Soren, personal opinion,
