BJP bans ‘personal opinion’ on Advani’s yatra

“We do not want our local leaders to speak a different language during the yatra. No personal opinion should be expressed. They should speak only on the issues which are on the agenda of the yatra,” Jaitley said.

He asked the office bearers to ensure that those local leaders who speak as fillers or who have to say a few words to welcome Advani and other senior leaders do not deviate from the issues and say something that creates a controversy.

“What the local leaders say is also important. Anybody should not be allowed to speak (from a public platform) without knowing what he will say,” he said.

BJP has often had egg on its face due to various leaders- even at the seniormost level- voicing opinions which are not in sync with the party’s official line.

Jaitley also asked the party cadre,which will handle media affairs at different places during the 38-day yatra across 23 states and four union territories,not to be unsettled by press criticism during the yatra.

“We do not have to set aside our agenda and have to work with a single-minded focus,” Jaitley said,adding that criticism of the programme from some sections is unavoidable.

Jaitley reiterated that the party office bearers active in the media cells at all levels should not get defocussed by the criticism and there should be no deviation from the party discipline.

Speaking on the issues to be raised during the yatra and why Advani decided to undertake this exercise,he said,”Not just the 2G spectrum and the cash-for-vote scams but also the issues of black money stashed abroad and the need for electoral reforms will be highlighted.”

The BJP leader accused the Government of scuttling Parliamentary procedures and processes as has been seen in the case of how it has treated the CAG reports,and in the functioning of the PAC,or in the cash-for-vote scam.

Jaitley insisted that “this had become a habit” with the UPA government.

“PAC has become an inconvinient instrument,” he said,citing the case of Goa PAC indicting Chief Minister Digambar Kamat.

BJP also alleged that the conclusions reached by Delhi police in the cash-for-vote scam did not appear to be credible. The party is miffed at the arrest of its two whistleblower MPs and Advani’s former close aide Sudheendra Kulkarni.

Other than taking these issues to the people during the yatra,BJP also wants to emphasise on the need for good governance and clean politics.

“The political agenda in this country has converged to good governance…. Today the people set their own agenda,” Jaitley said,and cited the Anna Hazare and Ramdev fasts as examples in which people had gathered in support on their own.