Bad Apples From The Family Orchard

Weeks after Swami Aseemanand confessed to his involvement in 2007 Samjhauta Express blast, the BJP is still in political denial. Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman asks, “Where is the need to own up to anything? Aseemanand was in no way a member of the party. We are neither worried nor embarrassed. We don’t recognise any of the statements made by him.”

Sources confirm that the BJP is clear on its stand on Hindu extremism. The party denounces any form of terror. It doesn’t support terror activities and believes that those found guilty of such acts should be tried under the law of the land. Question Sitharaman about the party’s plan of action and she protests: “Why should we need a special agenda for that? We have far more important issues—like the upa’s corruption—to handle than worry about this. This leaked confession is a clear attempt of the Congress to divert attention from the corruption charges against the UPA government.”

BJP president Nitin Gadkari echoes the view. “The Congress has left no stone unturned to defame the Sangh,” he said. “This recent allegation is part of the same votebank politics that the Congress plays.” With key assembly elections coming up in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, Gadkari may have a point, given that Assam alone has a 35 per cent minority population. But there is little hiding the fact that the Aseemanand confessions have made a dent.

Which is why RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also issued a statement. “Elements nurturing extremist views have been asked to leave the organisation. A majority of the people the government has accused had left voluntarily and a few were told that this extremism will not work in the RSS,” he said.

However, within the BJP, senior leaders seem uncomfortable about commenting on the issue. Which is perhaps why senior party leader Arun Jaitley, who was to be present at the release of Ratan Sharda’s book Secrets of RSS at the party headquarters in Delhi last week, decided to skip the event at the last moment.

Gadkari, who was at the book release, said rather sheepishly, “I had given time for this (event) some three months back. It is coincidental that the release of this book should be happening at such time when allegations are being made.” Gadkari also felt it was necessary to attack the charges being leveled at the RSS by investigators. “The allegation that RSS office-bearer Indresh Kumar (who has been questioned in connection with the Ajmer dargah blast) was an ISI agent is laughable,” he said. “Pushing its agenda of votebank politics, the Congress is busy hanging the nationalists in this country and protecting anti-nationals like Afzal Guru.”

The BJP’s legal cell believes that the case against Aseemanand will not stand in a court of law. The BJP and the Sangh, it is learnt, will provide covert legal aid to the swami as well as Indresh Kumar should the need arise.