Indignant BJP flays security theory8217;

Ridiculing the Congress argument that there was a security threat to its leader and that she had chosen Bellary as her mother-in-law had liked South India, he said the Congress stood exposed on both. The SPG had already protested that it had not been taken into confidence about Bellary, he reminded.

He criticised the Congress for its stand on Kargil, telecom policy and Italian wheeler-dealer Ottavio Quattrochi. Similarly, the Congress8217; stand on the country8217;s nuclear policy, Vajpayee8217;s Lahore bus journey, proxy voting, raising of the retirement age and support to Rabri Devi governmenthad exposed it so thoroughly that now, it was ready to do anything to wrest power, he alleged. Naidu charged that the party talked of single party rule but was striking alliance with the most corrupt parties and politicians.

While asserting that the Congress had been the greatest destabiliser in Indian politics and had no right to talk about stability, he said that Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her colleagues were trying to delude the people of the country. However, in the process they were only deluding themselves, he added.

Meanwhile, a BJP delegation from Bihar, led by senior leader Kailashpati Mishra called on the EC to apprise it of recovery of over 1000 fake and duplicate ballot boxes in the state.

The delegation apprehended massive rigging by the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal which, it accused, had printed 60 lakh fake ballot papers in Government Printing Press at Gaya for various constituencies in Bihar during 1995 Assembly elections, Mishra said.

Also, the Election Commission8217;s delay inproceeding against the guilty officials, responsible for use of duplicate ballot boxes in 1998 elections, has irked the BJP.

Talking to newsmen, after their return from Delhi, the leader of opposition Sushil Mody and state president Nand Kishore Yadav said, 8220;The role of the CEC has come under cloud following their reluctance to take action in the matter8221;. The leaders said the state unit of the party will resort to an agitation from August 23 to force the CEC to clear the picture on the issue.8220;The silence of the RJD and the inaction of the CEC are causing much concern,8221; the two leaders said and added, 8220;in order to clear the suspicion from the minds of the people of Bihar, the CEC must come out with the facts8221;.

Enraged at the stand of the CEC and state electoral officer, the BJP leaders sought to know why they were not initiating action against the guilty officials even after a fortnight of the revelations. Yadav pointed that the state election officer A.K. Basu had instructed the concerned districtmagistrates to take action against the guilty officers and send him weekly report on it. But so far nothing has been done, they said.

The BJP leaders have demanded a thorough check of all the boxes kept in the strong rooms and used during the 1998 elections in presence of the representatives of the political parties.