The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday sought to wash its hands off the jail term awarded by a court in Delhi to its former president Bangaru Laxman in connection to a bribery case, saying the order is part of a legal process which does not involve the party.
"This sentence is a part of the legal process. He (Laxman) will appeal against it. The liability here is personal and does not involve the party," BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
A Delhi court sentenced Laxman on Saturday to four years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs one lakh. He had been caught in a sting operation, conducted by news portal Tehelka, and was seen accepting a bribe of Rs one lakh to fix a fictitious defence deal in 2001.
The BJP sought to take digs at the government for allegedly using the Central Bureau of Investigation selectively which had probed this case and is now probing high-profile cases like 2G spectrum scam.
"One fact needs to be noted that it (Laxman case) was a sting for Rs one lakh only. If the CBI can secure conviction here, I am sure if the CBI is allowed a proper free hand, then surely conviction and heavy sentence would be passed in a series of shameful scandals of the Congress regime where actual public money has been looted," Prasad said.
Enumerating these cases, Prasad alleged that the Congress had looted Rs 1.67 lakh crore in the 2G spectrum case and Rs 20,000 crore in the Commonwealth Games.
"The Congress had looted crores of rupees in Bofors," Prasad alleged.
Asked if Laxman's conviction comes as an embarrassment to BJP, Prasad maintained that prompt and swift action was taken when the issue had come to light 11 years ago.
"When the incident occurred, the party removed him immediately the same evening. And thereafter, BJP has not given him any important post in the party," Prasad said.
