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'2014 will be the year of NDA and BJP'
In an interview with CNN-IBN, Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari has slammed Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal for questioning the 2G report and rubbished the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh's alleged links with terror. Here are some excerpts from the interview:
On his first year as the BJP president
"My experience has been good. The public support for the party has increased in many states like Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan. Our performance has been good everywhere. We are marching towards 2014 (when the next Lok Sabha elections will be held) with cooperation and support from all our leaders and workers. I'm very confident that 2014 will be the year of the National Democratic Alliance and the BJP."
Sibal's comments on 2G report 'funny, false and immoral'
On Kapil Sibal's remark against the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on 2G spectrum allocation:
"Though the CAG is a constitutional body, it functions under the government. It does not belong to the BJP or the NDA. It is an independent, impartial and fair body. When there is a report from the CAG, how is Mr Kapil Sibal saying that it is a false report?
"As a minister of the government of India, he is not supposed to make such comments against the CAG. If the CAG is operating under the finance ministry, the report is first submitted to the ministry and then comes to the Parliament. What is the finance minister doing about it? Is it not the responsibility of the Cabinet? He is also a responsible minister and he is making comments on the CAG report just like he is making comments against his political opponents. This is very funny, false and immoral. This is against the policy of the government. He is completely wrong."
'Congress, UPA and PM are all responsible'
On the BJP's strategy against the 2G scam:
"We have clarified many times that only (former telecom minister A) Raja is not responsible for the scam. The political arrangement is such that the Congress party has outsourced the telecom ministry to its partner. It is very unfortunate. It clearly indicates that there is an agreement between the Congress party and the DMK about this loot. That's why it (2G scam) is the moral responsibility of the Congress, the United Progressive Alliance and the prime minister. All of them are responsible."
'Quattrocchi's ties with Gandhi family are known to the world'
On whether the BJP is seeking the resignation of Dr Manmohan Singh
"It is not only the 2G scam, there is also the Commonwealth Games scam and now this Bofors case. The Bofors case is a big fraud. There is proof now that Rs 41crore was given to (Italian businessman Ottavio) Quattrocchi. In earlier cases, when the amount was withdrawn from the London bank, the no-objection certificate was given by the government of India. Who is responsible for that? Who is supporting Quattrocchi and why is he favoured? Quattrocchi's relations with the Gandhi family are known to the world. Because of the pressure from the Gandhi family, Quattrocchi was favoured by this government and this is very unfortunate.
'2010 was the year of UPA's scandals'
On the BJP's strategy for Parliament's budget session:
"These are important issues related to this country. The total amount of money lost in these scams amount nearly to 3 percent of India's GDP. The decision (on future strategy) is with the NDA and our leaders. At an appropriate time, they will take the decision. The way the government is trying to cover up corrupt practices and the people involved in corruption, it's unfortunate that we have to fight with them this way. (But) there is no other option for us."
"Before the session, in their meeting, they will decide on the future strategy of the House. As a party, we have decided to start a very aggressive agitation against corruption and scandals. In Indian history, 1947 was the year of independence, 1975 was the year the Emergency was imposed and 2010 was the year of scandals of the UPA."
'The CBI can get any confession from anybody'
On RSS' alleged links with terror:
"It's the strategy of the Congress. They are scared to face the people and it's their conspiracy to change their political agenda. That's why they are creating a type of atmosphere where the RSS is linked with terror outfits. They are making false cases against (RSS leader) Indreshji (Kumar). The CBI is the Congress Bureau of Investigation and it is a partner of the UPA. In case of (Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister) Mayawati, (Samajwadi Party chief) Mulayam Singh Yadav and (Jhrakhand Mukti Morcha chief) Shibu Soren, when the Congress needs help from them, they use the CBI. The CBI can get any confession from anybody under pressure. It has no credibility.
On Swami Aseemanand's confession about having links to terror acts:
"These are all baseless allegations and I think there is no substance in it. It's a planned political strategy of the Congress as they are facing problems and they don't have the courage to face the people of India. That's why they are diverting the agenda. That's why they are talking about RSS and Hindu terrorism."
'Indresh Kumar is a true nationalist'
On the National Investigation Agency taking over the Sunil Joshi murder case
"As far as the investigations are concerned, we are not opposing anything. The problem is with the credibility of the investigating agency. The Congress party is misusing all the machinery. It's the political agenda of the Congress to divert the attention of the media away from these scandals to the issue of Hindu terrorism and RSS. They feel that if they attack the RSS, the BJP would react and the matter would escalate into a bigger issue. This is their plan and that's why they are doing it."
On RSS leader Indresh Kumar's alleged involvement in the Ajmer blasts
"He is not politically involved. He is a person who had dedicated his life to the country. He is a true nationalist and he has been working for the country. To allege that he is an agent of the Inter Services Intelligence is very bad. These allegations have been made under pressure from the Congress. The CBI is misusing its power to defame the RSS."