LK Advani charts out another 'yatra' plan

Virtually owning the moral responsibility for the actions of two former party MPs arrested by the Delhi Police in the cash-for-votes scam, BJP veteran LK Advani not only dared the government to arrest him, but also got into his faourite yatra mode announcing plan for a national rath yatra to expose the “corrupt” UPA government.

Advani said the yatra is to get his voice heard by the masses on corruption. However, the BJP leader’s surprise announcement, who did not give details of his yatra on the pretext that itinerary and other modalities were being finalised, can be construed as an attempt to have a better control in the party and an attempt to position himself as BJP’s PM candidate for 2014 general elections.

Dodging related queries, Advani said BJP has the policy of not declaring its PM candidate before the elections. He said the focus of the yatra will be “good governance and clean politics.”

Though Advani’s rath yatras have helped the party consolidate support and has translated in more seats for the BJP in parliament, it has never helped the party come into power at the Centre.  

Earlier in the day, though the Lok Sabha did not debate the scam, there was a dramatic sequence as Advani stood up and raised his wrists daring the government to put handcuffs and arrest him. As the house adjourned amid chaos, leader of opposition Sushma Swaraj slammed the Congress for not allowing her senior to speak.

Advani was protesting the arrest of two of his party’s former MPs in the scam.