BJP defends absence of top leaders at Jharkhand swearing-in

BJP today defended the absence of senior Central leaders in the swearing-in ceremony of the Jharkhand government saying there were no differences within the organisation on support to JMM and it was very much a part of the new regime.
    
"Our Jharkhand party unit president Raghuvar Das is the deputy chief minister in the government, Yashwant Sinha (a former vice-president of the Central leadership) was also present there. It is a new alliance. It is our new government," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
    
He was replying to a question from the press on whether the party's Central leadership had kept away from the swearing in as Soren had a "tainted" record.
    
Javadekar said there were no differences within the party on BJP becoming a part of the Soren government.
    
"When a party goes with Congress then it is clean, when it comes with us it is un-clean. When a party goes with Congress it is secular, when it comes with us, it is communal," he said.
    
Javadekar accused the Congress of changing its definition of what is fair in politics.
    
Earlier, there were reports of differences within BJP on supporting JMM as Soren is facing court cases.
    
Usually, most BJP Central leaders attend the swearing-in ceremony when the party is forming the government.