New Delhi: On the backfoot during the Monsoon Session of Parliament on the 'mole in PMO' row, the BJP has admitted that it needs to keep a check on the controversies arising from within the party.
In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN, BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitley, however, rejected suggestions that his party had reversed the position its leaders L K Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had taken in 1998 against moves by the Kalyan Singh government on mandating Vande Mataram singing in UP schools.
“We are not reversing our position. We are opposed to any form of disrespect to a symbol of India's honour," he said.
Admitting that the BJP is in the process of undergoing change where the second generation leaders would emerge on top, Jaitley said the party top guns Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani were actively encouraging new leadership.
Claiming that it was only the BJP and the Left parties, which has “structured political set-up” in the country, Jaitley said the party was going through the process of generational change and today only these two parties were supporting and encouraging such a step.
He said most political parties in the country, including Indian National Congress, were
“family, personality or caste driven” and there was no doubt about their successors and inheritors adopting the same line.
Jaitley said the generational change was already on in the BJP-ruled states with almost all the chief ministers in their early 50s and the situation was the same in the central leadership of the party where the next generation political functionaries were also in the same age group.
“The leadership change does not happen by default but it is a conscious choice,” he asserted.
Jaitley admitted public opinion has not leaned towards his party over the past two years.
“People are dissatisfied with the Government. Why are they not leaning towards us? And in case they are to lean towards us then we, as an Opposition, have the primary responsibility of focusing on issues on which people are dissatisfied," Jaitley remarked.
But, the BJP leader accepted the party was required to rein in controversies erupting frequently from within.
He said the party is required to concentrate "exclusively" on issues like price rise, economy and security, "rather than allow every third day some irrelevant controversy within us to surface, which diverts public opinion from the UPA's failures."
In an apparent reference to dissidence of Madan Lal Khurana, Jaitley insisted the BJP has over the past one year tried to enforce discipline in the organisation.
"We have somebody giving dissident voice in the party. We had that problem in 2004-05. We have tried to correct that indiscipline," he said.
Asked about his party's "failure" to corner the Government in the Monsoon Session because of the attack it faced from the ruling UPA over the mole row, Jaitley admitted the issue did not "really" help the BJP.
"I do concede that the dragging of this issue really did not help us," Jaitley, who attributed the row to media attention, said.
Jaitley, however, insisted Jaswant Singh's book that carried references to a spy in the Narasimha Rao government was a "serious" publication.
"That (the mole row) was neither the core of the BJP's stand nor the core of his book. But unfortunately, it did happen and to that extent that the agenda got marginally diverted," he said.
Catch the entire interview where Karan Thapar plays the Devil's Advocate with BJP General Secretary, Arun Jaitley at 2030 hours IST on Sunday and 1630 hours IST on Monday.
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