Senior Supreme Court lawyer and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Prashant Bhushan has said that Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Chief Ministerial candidate in Delhi Kiran Bedi showed signs of her pro-BJP sympathies during the India Against Corruption (IAC) protest movement days.
Speaking at a meet-the-press programme organised by the Press Club here on Saturday, he said in response to a question that Ms. Bedi “occasionally said things that were sympathetic to the BJP.” The Team Anna, however, had not allowed her pro-BJP views to influence its decisions, he added. Recalling Ms. Bedi’s refusal to join the AAP when it was formed citing that she was against entering electoral politics, Mr. Bhushan said that her joining the BJP now betrayed her political opportunism.
Mr. Bhushan said that the BJP-led government at the Centre that had come to power on the anti-corruption plank was yet to take any initiative to strengthen the agencies that could act against corruption.
While the appointments in the Lokpal continued to be dominated by the political class, the appointments in the Central Information Commission were done in a non-transparent manner, he said, adding that the new Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director is ‘weak and pliable.’ The government had not taken any steps to stop the system that allowed anonymous investment being used for laundering black money, he said adding that those involved in the practice are people funding the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not taken any action to stop Sangh Parivar organisations ‘spreading communal poison,’ he said.
Fascist character
Observing that there was an organic link between Rashtreeya Swayamsevak Sangh and fascist organisations, he said that even the manner in which Mr. Modi took complete control of the party and the government betrayed his fascist character. The government was also promoting unscientific temper in the country with obscurantist ideas, he said.
Mr. Bhushan said that the judiciary was not showing any interest in reforms to speed up judicial processes and have competent and honest judges.
