The Congress on Monday demanded an apology from BJP leader L.K. Advani for misleading the nation on various counts, including the decision to exchange terrorists for hostages in Kandahar in 1999, and the cash-for-vote scam during the trust vote debate in Parliament last year.
Reacting to disclosures made by expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh in a television interview, Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said it was evident that Mr. Advani had been economical with the truth. Maintaining that the Congress was not concerned with the “internal squabbles of the BJP,” he said the Leader of the Opposition was guilty of prevarication.
Referring to Mr. Singh’s bid to convince Mr. Advani against allowing the display of cash in the Lok Sabha ahead of the trust vote, Mr. Singhvi said: “Now, perhaps, we know who knew all about the source of the money, and organised the drama.”
As to whether the Congress would mount pressure on the government to take legal action against Mr. Advani, the spokesman said: “No one is interested in making a martyr out of him. It is first and foremost a crime against democracy, ethics and morality. To start with, Mr. Advani and the party which is constantly projecting him as Prime Minister should apologise.”
