Monday, September 19 2005 16:36 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today (Sept 19, 2005) demanded a high-level probe into the allegations contained in a book by a former Soviet archivist that the erstwhile Soviet intelligence agency, KGB, gave funds to the Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI).

"BJP is of the strong view that a probe is needed into the issue, as the allegations revealed that the KGB had penetrated into the political set up of the country," the BJP vice president M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here today. The Congress, which was at the helm of affairs then, owed an explanation to the country, he said.

On the CPI leader D Raja's remarks that the allegations were not true, he said if it was so, they should proceed legally against the publishers of the book.

The three-day national executive of the Party, which concluded its session here yesterday, had sent a 'strong message' to its cadre to expose the 'failures' of the UPA government on all fronts.

"Chennai message will soon become the talking point of the country," he claimed adding that the deliberations of the executive was 'extremely successful.'

He parried questions on a possible successor to BJP president L K Advani who yesterday announced that he would demit office in December. Though Advani would be quitting the party post, he along with former Prime Minister A B Vajpayee would continue to be the 'guiding force' of the party, Naidu added.