Sukh Ram was a compulsion: Thakre
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Sept 30 — Joining hands with the Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) leader and former Communication Minister, Mr Sukhram, was a compulsion for the BJP, the party President, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, said here today.
Having a tie-up with Mr Sukh Ram, who is facing several corruption charges for his term as a Communication Minister in the P.V.Narasimha Rao-led Congress Government, had become necessary to keep the Congress out of power, Mr Thakre said while addressing a news conference.
He pointed out that after the assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP was short of two seats and embracing Mr Sukh Ram was the only solution at that point. "It had to be done to keep the Congress out of power", he admitted.
Mr Thakre’s reaction was prompted by a question on the logic of BJP’s criticism of the Congress alliance with the "corruption-tainted" AIADMK and the Rashtriya Janata Dal when it too had tied up with a leader who was facing corruption charges.
Mr Thakre in his opening statement said that one fundamental distinction between the BJP-led alliance and the Congress-led alliance was that while the former represented India’s federal polity, the latter was an alliance of corrupt forces.
"The only thing common between the Congress-RJD-AIADMK was a large number of corruption cases pending against the leaders of the alliance and their associates", he said.
On the BJP’s alliance with the AIADMK for nearly 16 months in the previous Lok Sabha, Mr Thakre said the Vajpayee Government had made it clear then that it would not interfere with the legal process.
Mr Thakre reiterated that the party’s alliance with leaders of dubious image was not for the sake of power but to keep the Congress out.
On the BJP’s fallout with the Haryana Vikas Party of Mr Bansi Lal in Haryana, Mr Thakre said the party did not leave the Haryana Chief Minister.
He said the policies pursued by Mr Bansi Lal was not in the interest of the people and the BJP had pointed this out to him. However, Mr Lal ignored the BJP’s contention and continued with his "anti-people" policies. The result was clear in the Lok Sabha elections, and, yet the Haryana Chief Minister failed to make amends.
It was at this stage, Mr Thakre said that the BJP decided to distance itself from the Haryana Vikas Party.
He admitted that the break-up with the Haryana Vikas Party and the tie-up with the Himachal Vikas Congress could have hurt the BJP’s image to some extent.