Even as the Congress has slammed senior BJP leader and former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani's “rath yatra against corruption”, Mysore MP and Congress leader A.H. Vishwanath has welcomed it, saying he would support the fight against corruption, irrespective of the leaders who are leading it.
“I welcome the rath yatra. Mr. Advani is a very senior national leader. I support the rath yatra because it is against corruption,” Mr. Vishwanath said.
Addressing presspersons here on Friday, Mr. Vishwanath, former Minister, said Mr. Advani should not allow tainted leaders in his party to board his “rath” (chariot) and accompany him in the yatra.
“If he [Mr. Advani] allows his party's leaders facing corruption charges to join the yatra against graft, it will send a wrong message. If he is serious about the issue, he should not allow tainted leaders in the yatra,” the MP said.
Asked why he was supporting the yatra when his own party leaders at the Centre had criticised Mr. Advani's action, he said: “As a Congress worker, I am welcoming the fight against corruption.”
Praise
He said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should be taken as a model and not Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
The reforms that Mr. Kumar was trying to bring to fight corruption were commendable. “He (Mr. Kumar) has suggested seizure of properties owned by corrupt officers for public purpose. I think it is a better step to curb corruption. We need to take such steps to fight corruption in our State too,” he observed.
