Saffron source: Wikipedia BJP guide on black money

But poll compulsions apart,how did Advani decide that the amount involved is 5.7 billion dollars,which is now his party’s statewide slogan ?

Advani apparently quoted from the free online encyclopaedia,Wikipedia.

“According to Wikipedia,Indian black money totalled 2.6 billion dollars in 2001. In 2007,they were believed to be about 5.7 billion dollars,a staggering 80 per cent increase in six years. It is equally well known that many wealthy Indians have deposited their illicit money in secret Swiss bank accounts and tax havens elsewhere around the world,” Advani had said in his March 29 statement.

In other words,Advani admitted that his information source was nothing but Wikipedia,which is an online free-content encyclopaedia that anyone with a computer can edit,delete,and add on.

Yamal Vyas,the BJP media cell convener in Gujarat has also defended the party’s move to raise a national issue on the basis of an entry in an unprotected online encyclopaedia.

He said: “Advaniji has given a sound logical basis to it in that press statement for raising such a demand.”

Asked why the BJP woke up to the issue only on poll eve,Vyas added: “We found a ray of hope by the disclosures of Swiss banks to German and American officials.”