External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has admitted to CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury that a flyer for the Yoga Day celebrations issued by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s overseas affiliate had made an “inaccurate projection”.
Referring to the handbill sent out by the OFBJP (Overseas Friends of BJP), Ms. Swaraj said in a letter (No. 5593/EAM/2016) that “their enthusiasm, while understandable, has however made them to (sic) inaccurately project the event as being led by them and supported by the High Commission and government Ministries. The flyer has since been withdrawn.”
Party symbol
On Monday, The Hindu reported that the Ministry and the OFBJP had disowned the flyer, which had displayed the BJP’s lotus symbol prominently. The flyer was for the Yoga Day event in Kuala Lumpur on June 19. Accusing the Centre of using what he called “brazen” methods to “promote the activities of their party’s affiliates in these countries”, Mr. Yechury, who is also on the Consultative Committee of the Ministry, said Ms. Swaraj’s clarification meant that the government must now take the next step to “punish the OFBJP in accordance with the law”. He called upon the government to tell BJP affiliates not to “misuse such government initiatives for their own partisan propaganda”.
Officials of the OFBJP in Malaysia, who had earlier denied any knowledge of the flyer, said the “confusion” had arisen when they forwarded the High Commission’s handbill. “Our logo was mistakenly transposed on the poster,” OFBJP Malaysia general secretary Nabhesh Khanna said.
