Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS) Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal Thursday took a dig at Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani’s decision to launch a ‘yatra’ against corruption, saying it was amusing that a party whose former president was caught taking money was undertaking such an exercise.

“He has taken out yatras earlier. It is his right. But I am amused. People who did not understand themselves (about not being corrupt) are out to make others understand,” Bansal said.

He said the BJP was the only political party whose president (Bangaru Laxman) was caught on camera accepting cash in a sting operation over a decade ago.

Bansal also dismissed BJP’s claims that Advani was not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha on the cash-for-votes scam.

He said that technically the BJP leader could not have spoken on the issue as it was sub-judice.

He said Advani had been an MP for almost 40 years but had given a notice for suspension of question hour on cash-for-vote scam though the issue had been discussed in the house for three days in a previous session.

Bansal criticised Advani for calling arrested former BJP MPs as “whistle blowers”. He said there was a difference between carrying out a sting operation to expose malpractices and staging an operation.

Congress sources said the decision of Advani to go on yatra has come at a time when BJP chief Nitin Gadkari has indicated that the party will not declare its prime ministerial candidate in the next Lok Sabha election and the decision would be taken after the polls.

Advani Thursday said: “I have decided to take out a yatra against corruption. Its focus will be on good governance and clean politics,” he said.

He said he would complete the yatra against corruption before the winter session of Parliament.