BJP top brass to court arrest on CD issue

After its massive victory in Delhi Municipal poll, an emboldened BJP has decided to go on offensive in the battle for Uttar Pradesh.

Senor BJP leaders, led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha LK Advani, would court arrest in Lucknow on Monday to protest the FIR against party chief Rajnath Singh in the CD case.

The party would also observe April 9 as Janakrosh Diwas countrywide and hold demonstrations in all district headquarters and the State capitals.

Taking an aggressive stand on the CD controversy, the BJP has accused its political rivals of orchestrating 'the entire episode' and forcing the Election Commission to order an FIR against Rajnath Singh.

An unperturbed Singh said that he would court arrest on Monday. "The Election Commission has committed a blunder by registering FIR, notwithstanding the fact that the party has appropriately explained everything to the Commission. Will there be a similar action against the Chief Election Commissioner if a district level official commits a mistake," Singh asked.

Addressing the newly elected councillors at his residence on Sunday morning, Singh said the people have rejected the Congress' agenda of appeasement. "Inflation, corruption and lack of basic amenities have made the people's life miserable. It is an important victory for the party and would register such feats in days to come," he added.

According to Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, BJP vice-president, Singh would present himself before the police in Lucknow. Apart from Advani, other senior leaders likely to join him are MM Joshi, M Venkaiah Naidu, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Yashwant Sinha and Kalyan Singh. The BJP leader would not seek bail if the FIRs were not withdrawn.

"The second FIR against Singh is a malicious design of the Samajwadi Party and other pseudo secularists. There was no need of any such FIR after the party gave a detailed explanation to the Chief Election Commissioner," Naqvi said. Singh on Sunday morning met former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and sought his blessings.

"It is worthwhile to note that no such action was initiated against Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who used a Godhra CD in Bihar election for divisive politics. Recently notices were issued to Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar for violation of code of conduct by declaring sugar package and to Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav for casteist appeal. But no FIR was registered against them," Prakash Javadekar, the party's national spokesperson, said.

"No FIR was registered against either AICC president Sonia Gandhi for using the State aircraft during Chhattisgarh Assembly election, or Lalu Prasad Yadav for distributing cash during Bihar Assembly campaign. The call of action against the BJP by other parties is a worst type of appeasement politics," he added.

According to Naqvi, the party workers would organise demonstrations at the district headquarters and the State Capitals to expose the conspiracy of pseudo-secularists against the BJP. "There is a wave in favour of the BJP. Hence, the pseudo-secularists are having sleepless nights," he said.

As the party has decided that Singh would not seek bail, the State might witness 'piquant situations' arising out of his arrest. "It is a political conspiracy and we would expose it at any cost," Naqvi said.