Compromised Regional Leaders Silent on Corruption Charges Against BJP

NEW DELHI: The regional parties are conspicuous in their silence over the Lalitgate and corruption controversy, keeping to their own counsel even as the rest of the Opposition increases the decibels for the ouster of the concerned BJP Ministers and Chief Minister.

Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee, Jayalalithaa, Naveen Patnaik,HD Deve Gowda are all silent not even murmuring a muted criticism of the BJP leaders. Most of them have corruption cases against them, and have clearly opted to remain out of the line of fire.

The attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP is being mounted essentially by the Congress party, the Left front, the Janata Dal(U), and the Aam Aadmi Party. As a senior political leader from this grouping said, “we are not expecting anything from the others, look at them they are all silent.” The sources said that these leaders are clearly bound by their own “sins of commission” and are not going to speak out lest they be made to pay a price.

It remains to be seen how this plays out in Parliament where the Left, Congress and others are determined to pin down the government. The Samajwadi party, Janata Dal(S), the Biju Janata Dal and even the two chief ministers of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have opted out on this issue of corruption. Banerjee, in fact, after opposing the BJP till the local elections in West Bengal were over seems to have turned a new leaf insofar after her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She joined his delegation in Bangladesh and has since been very silent about the BJP and the government at the centre.

The other political parties are unanimous in demanding a statement from the PM, and action against the BJP leaders charged with corruption in different forms. The list includes Minister of Foreign Affairs Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Maharashtra Minister P.Munde.

PM Modi has not said a word on the issue. BJP President Amit Shah has also fallen silent after initial support for Swaraj. The BJP, however, has decided to weather the storm and has hunkered down behind the four women leaders. Raje who is in the eye of the Opposition attack for supporting former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi has not been able to meet either PM Modi or Shah who reportedly refused earlier, but has managed to consolidate support behind her from sections of the RSS and the Rajasthan unit of the BJP. The BJP now is maintaining that she did not appear in court for Modi, and she issued the letter of support purely in her capacity as a personal friend.