Thursday, June 9 2005 17:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bhubaneswar: The CPI (Communist Party of India) today (Jun 9, 2005) said BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) would continue with its policies whether or not Lal Krishna Advani remained its President.

"It is clear that BJP would continue with its policies irrespective of whether Advani stays or goes," party General Secretary A B Bardhan said at a news conference in Bhubaneswar. Referring to the developments in BJP, Bardhan said, the party was in disarray after its electoral defeat in the last general elections and the "present blow" (Advani's controversial remarks in Pakistan) has deepened it by striking at the very ideology, he said.

When asked whether Advani's purported 'image changeover' could pose a serious threat to secular forces, he retorted, "Why should we feel threatened?

"Nothing has changed as far as the BJP is concerned....That's why they are glossing over any debate (on the subject)", he added.

"The BJP high command is very quiet over the issue. It does not want a debate. All the focus is whether Advani should remain or go," he said parrying questions on whether the developments in BJP could lead to a split in that party.

"It is, however, well known that from the very beginning RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and BJP had to have some hate figures without which they could not spread their fanaticism. These hate figures included Muslims in general, Jinnah in particular and Pakistan as a whole", Bardhan said.

Referring to the strong response to Advani's comments in Sangh Parivar, Bardhan said, "It is not very difficult for an individual to take a U-turn after learning from fresh experience even at old age, but it is very difficult to make an entire organisation do so."

Bardhan said Advani's remarks did not amount to giving up Hindutva. He had only stated that Jinnah was a secular leader.

"People of this country regarded Jinnah as one of those, not the only one, who spoke of the two-nation theory and was responsible for the partition. He helped the British divide the country, though at the same time, he played a major role in the freedom struggle.

"It was true that Jinnah, in his August 11, 1947 speech, had spoken of a secular Pakistan and Advani had done nothing wrong by quoting him. But he forgot to emphasise that Jinnah was responsible for the partition," Bardhan said.