Indicating that the BJP would make Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin a major plank in the next Lok Sabha poll, Union HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi today attacked her for the first time on the issue, saying she was “incapable” of providing leadership and has “no sense of issues”. Joshi’s attack comes a few days after Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani said even foreigners were surprised that a person born abroad could be the prime ministerial candidate in India. In his first such attack on the Congress chief, Joshi told a press conference that the recent no-confidence motion had ‘‘brought out before the public the enormity of Gandhi’s inadequacy. It has proved that she is not only incapable of providing leadership to the Opposition but also shows that she has no sense of issues, nor timing’’. ‘‘It is the normally accepted convention that the PM or the head of state is a person born in that country.There is difference between a naturalised citizen and a natural citizen,’’ he said. Asked if the BJP was worried at the emergence of Gandhi as the Opposition leader, Joshi said: ‘‘I am not worried. They (Congressmen) are worried. Because I am sure she is not going to be the next prime minister.’’ He also flayed the Left Front for “throwing stones” at the Centre while dragging West Bengal behind. In view of its achievements, Joshi said the NDA Government ‘‘will come back with a thumping majority in the next elections’’. Turning to West Bengal, he said the state of affairs in the state was in stark contrast to the development achieved by India in the past five years. The state, he said, currently stood among the three states having largest number of illiterates, largest number of 65 lakh job-seekers. The state ranked 17th as an investment destination. Asked to comment on reported withdrawal of Sanskrit from government colleges in the state, he said: ‘‘The Leftists have an anti-Sanskrit stance. They don’t know if Sanskrit is dead, all the Indian languages will follow suit.’’ On the ASI report, Joshi said Left historians, who doubted the authenticity of the report, should move the court with their views. ‘‘The high court had ordered for excavations. The court itself appointed ASI for the job, which has submitted its report. Let those having doubts about the report move the court with their views,’’ he said. Dismissing the scholars’ allegations that the report was tailored to suit the claims of the Sangh Parivar, he said: ‘‘They are in a habit of seeing the hand of Sangh Parivar behind everything that goes against their views.’’
