Sentiment against graft more popular than Ram: LK Advani

Former deputy prime minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, LK Advani, on Thursday said his Jan Chetna Yatra (JCY) against corruption has evoked more response than his earlier yatras, including the Ram Rath Yatra for the Ayodhya temple.

He was addressing a huge gathering in the city as part of his JCY from Sitabdiyara (Bihar) to New Delhi. Due to corruption, confidence of the public has been shaken in the last two years and his yatra is to counter the impression that India is a corrupt country. It has nothing to do with repackaging himself politically, but is concerned only with the reputation of the country.

His Ram Rath Yatra from Somnath in Gujarat to Ayodhya for building a Ram temple was a huge success in terms of public support and it impacted the politics of the country in the 1990s.
But on Thursday, Advani said his JCY has received more public support than any of his earlier five yatras.

During the Ram Rath Yatra, the issue was a religious one and there was spontaneous response to matters of faith. It would become clear from the huge support to the JCY that if there is appeal for Rambhakti (devotion to Ram) in the country, then there is no less appeal for patriotism.

About two decades ago, there were great expectations for the country. India had a successful democracy and people felt it would become an economic power in the 21st century.

The six-year rule of the Vajpayee government increased the optimism about the country.

“Suddenly in the last two years, the public confidence has been shaken. World over, people say India is a corrupt country,” he said.

Advani said India is an honest country. The common man is working honestly. The image of the country should not be tarnished due to corruption of some leaders. The aim of the JCY is to counter the impression that India is a corrupt country. He added that the JCY has nothing to do with his political career. It has nothing to do with the BJP, nor has it has anything to do with the elections.

According to one estimate, the money deposited by Indians in Swiss banks is about Rs25 lakh crore. All that money should be brought back to the country and used for development of the six lakh villages in the country.

The main reason for the price hike is corruption. Prices cannot be controlled unless corruption is controlled. Good governance and corruption cannot co-exist.

National president of the BJP, Nitin Gadkari said Union home minister, P Chidambaram is as guilty as the then telecom minister, A Raja for the 2G scam.

He said the Central government has a list of 700 Indians who have deposited money in the Swiss banks. But the prime minister and the finance minister are not declaring the names. “Are they not declaring the names as it would expose the Congress party?” he asked.

He said Advani’s yatra is not a campaign of the party. It is to change the future of the country and to eradicate fear, hunger and corruption.

Senior leaders of the party, Gopinath Munde, Ravishankar Prasad, Anantkumar, Eknath Khadse, Sudhir Munguntiwar, Prakash Jawadekar and Vinod Tawade and city president of BJP, Vikas Mathkari were present.