BJP president Rajnath Singh on Wednesday cited the example of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's change of stance in the 2G scam to showcase the crisis of credibility being faced by the Congress.
He said the Prime Minister had initially offered to appear before the PAC to explain the facts of 2G scam, but when the JPC demanded that he come before the panel he rejected it.
He also pointed to the Government's interference in the CBI's functioning. Despite the Supreme Court's direction that CBI status report on Coalgate be submitted to it directly, law Minister Ashwani Kumar vetted the report in the presence of PMO officials, he said adding the BJP will take up the issue about this misuse of CBI and constitutional impropriety in the Parliament session which resumes from April 22 after a month-long recess.
With Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at the centrestage, Rajnath claimed that contrary to public perception there was no race in the party for PM's post and reiterated that the decision about BJP's PM's candidate will be taken up by the party's Parliamentary Board. The BJP chief heaped praise on Modi and defended him on 2002 riots' issue while interacting with members of Indian Women's Press Corps.
Asked about his own possibility of becoming the PM candidate, Rajnath said, "If I become the PM candidate then who will decide about the PM."
Making light of veteran BJP leader l K Advani's recent statement that BJP has not remained the party of his dreams or people are losing trust in it, Rajnath said that like a father and guardian wants his children to always perform better Advani has similar expectations from the BJP. He also remained vague on Advani emerging as PM candidate by saying that he is "our senior leader who gives direction to the party".
Asserting that UPA Government is on crutches after support withdrawal by allies Trinamool Congress and DMK, Rajnath said that if any other ally does the same then the possibility of midterm polls cannot be ruled out.
He said BJP will raise issues of government's failure to contain corruption, inflation, unemployment and farmers' suicide and bring out a Vision Document highlighting its policies which include economic reforms without making India subservient to any other country. He said the BJP is working to get a clear majority in Karnataka Assembly polls.
However, he added cautiously that the lok Sabha results cannot be predicted on the basis of assembly polls' outcome. The BJP, ruling in Karnataka, is unlikely to have a repeat performance this time around.