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'Today India's image stands lowered in the eyes of the world and I protested'

Amberish Diwanji in New Delhi

Mahatma Gandhi's fiftieth death anniversary was a fast-paced day for the Bharatiya Janata Party. First, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee undertook a fast through the day (from morning to evening) for communal harmony in the country, He exhorted others to follow suit, an order the party faithful duly carried out.

Then Madan Lal Khurana, the voluble minister for tourism and parliamentary affairs, went a step further and sacrificed his post in the Cabinet and the BJP national executive, protesting against the attacks on Christians. Khurana's resignation letter, sent a few days ago, was accepted today.

He did not, however, resign his membership of the party. That would have meant losing his seat in the Lok Sabha. Should he be dismissed from the party, he will retain his seat in Parliament.

Khurana had first sent in his resignation on January 7, 1999, right after the BJP's national executive session in Bangalore. The reason was the attacks on the government by certain affiliates of the Sangh Parivar that gave the party a bad name. But there was no response to his resignation letter.

It was the gruesome incident in Orissa, however, that proved to be the last straw. After Graham Stains and his young sons were burnt alive, Khurana sent fresh resignation letters on January 24 to party chief Shashikant 'Kushabhau' Thakre and Vajpayee, both of which were accepted.

Later, Khurana spoke to the media about the turn of events. Though he did not take names, he dropped sufficient hints for the people to be identifiable. He criticised Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh leader Dattopant Thengdi for opposing the Patents Bill and the Insurance Regulatory Authority Bill. Khurana said he was pained to see the hurt that Vajpayee was being put through by some members of the Sangh Parivar who opposed the government's policy.

"At the BJP session in Bangalore, [Thengdi] said the Vajpayee government was selling India, that it was an enemy of the people, and that the finance minister would destroy the economy. Another leader at the same venue asserted said the present PM was the worst in India's history, in the presence of a BJP general secretary [K N Govindacharya] who did not protest... That very day I met the prime minister and told him I did not like what was happening."

Khurana's biggest grouse is that at the Bangalore session, and at the earlier Jaipur conclave, he was not allowed to speak out against those opposing the government.

"I have been a part of the national executive since 1964 and yet I am treated so shabbily," he said at the hurriedly-called press conference, held on the lawns of his bungalow.

Khurana also flayed the "inhuman attacks" on Christians, allegedly by members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal. "These incidents have not only given the BJP a bad name in India but also in the world. Today India's image stands lowered in the eyes of the world and I protested to the party leadership about them."

Khurana pointed out that when in 1984, Congress workers attacked the Sikhs in Delhi, he had worked to save them. "Because of my efforts, the BJP could sweep Punjab in the elections like never before. When I saved Sikhs then, I was a hero. Today, when I speak up on behalf of Christians who are being attacked, my party calls me communal," he stated.

He flayed the party president for not even having the courtesy to meet him.

"Thakre sent me a letter saying my resignation has been accepted. He did not even call me to ask why I was upset, what were the problems I faced," he said.

At the BJP headquarters at Asoka Road, New Delhi, bhajans were being sung, including some of the Mahatma's favourites like Vaishnav Janto and Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram.

Seated on an elevated platform, facing an audience of party workers, were Thakre, Home Minister L K Advani, BJP officials, and the singers, appearing serene and in deep contemplation. Yet, outside the shamiana, everyone was discussing Khurana's resignation and its implications for the party and government.

"It is a good thing he is going," said senior BJP official K R Malkani. "No one likes him -- he talks too much, and he is incapable of looking after his ministries."

BJP spokesman J P Mathur insisted that no meaning should be read into Khurana's resignation. "He resigned and (the resignation) was accepted today, that's all," he said. As to why the party had waited so many days after Khurana sent his letter, Mathur replied, "When the letter was first sent, Thakre was out of town. Then Khurana was out of town. Today both are in town, so we have accepted it."

Yet, Mathur was referring to the letter of January 24. He refused to say what happened to the earlier letter of resignation dated January 7. Mathur also brushed aside talk of a fratricidal quarrel within the Sangh Parivar.

"There is no such thing as a Sangh Parivar," he stated. "A parivar [family] has a head whereas we have no head. We are just close friends!"

Minister for Power P R Kumaramangalam termed the resignation unfortunate. "I think it was caused more by upset feelings rather than any real reason. Khurana was feeling upset at what he perceived were certain slights at him," he said.

The power minister also said he had no complaint against the RSS or the swadeshi lobby. "My ministry has the maximum foreign companies working in India. I have found that whenever I had to take a hard decision, I would explain the reasons to the RSS, and they never opposed me," he said.

ALSO SEE:
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madan Lal Khurana resigns
Khurana accuses Thakre of suffocating him

The Christian attacks row

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