Cong leaders write to Advani, slam plea for conscience vote

Apparently stung by senior BJP leader L K Advani’s appeal for a “conscience vote” in the presidential election, about half-a-dozen Congress MPs have sent him letters launching a personal attack on him.

Apparently stung by senior BJP leader L K Advani’s appeal for a “conscience vote” in the presidential election, about half-a-dozen Congress MPs have sent him letters launching a personal attack on him.

In a letter sent to the Leader of the Opposition today, Rajya Sabha member and former Manipur Chief Minister Rishan Keishing says: “It is preposterous that you have thought it fit to issue an invitation for cross-voting, blatantly contrary to the spirit of the anti-defection law on behalf of a presidential aspirant who is a sitting Vice-President, and, as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, is the prescribed constitutional adjudicatory authority under the anti-defection law.”

The letter questions the “constitutional morality” of Advani’s action and terms his appeal for a conscience vote as manifestation of his “innate contempt” for democratic processes.

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“Such unethical and unprincipled mud-slinging is, of course, entirely in keeping with the traditions and usages of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). We had hoped that the experience of participating in our democracy would have matured you and your associates into the true spirit of democratic discourse, but clearly even a spell as Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister has not been able to wean you from the culture that has shaped your politics,” says the letter.

According to Congress leaders, five other party MPs including Rashid Alvi, Jai Prakash Agrawal, Karnendu Bhattacharjee, Jai Prakash and Karan Singh Yadav have adopted “similar lines” in expressing their views to Advani.

Keishing’s letter says the Congress could also have indulged in mud-slinging but refrained due to democratic values. “Fight your battle if you must, but kindly refrain from a smear campaign. That might be too much to expect of you or of the party and the Sangh to which you belong,” it says.