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Liz Mathew in New Delhi
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party is at war with itself over the possible induction into the government of its former disgraced party president Bangaru Laxman.
Party leaders are divided over making Laxman a minister in the government, who quit in March in disgrace after he was secretly filmed accepting bribes from two tehelka.com reporters, who pretended to be arms merchants.
Laxman, handpicked by Vajpayee as BJP president in August last year, went into near oblivion after March. However, in recent weeks he has been rehabilitated. He joined the Indian delegation to the racism meet at Durban and became a member of a Rajya Sabha committee on housing.
He also accompanied the prime minister in a helicopter to attend a party meeting at Agra two weeks ago.
With George Fernandes -- who also quit the government in March -- returning to the cabinet as defence minister, there is widespread speculation that Laxman may also be made a minister.
He has earlier been a minister of state.
"It's all humbug," thundered J P Mathur, a senior BJP leader.
"There are no similarities between the cases (of Fernandes and Laxman). There was no mention in the tehelka tapes that Fernandes took any money whereas Laxman was seen receiving money," Mathur said.
Fernandes resigned from the government because his confidante and president of his Samata Party, Jaya Jaitly, was filmed discussing military deals at his official residence.
But another BJP leader who did not want to be identified argued that an investigation ordered into the Tehelka tapes had not found anything incriminating against Laxman.
"As party president he had every right to accept the money (for the party). Moreover the tapes' authenticity is under question now. It is said they were doctored. So why should he not been given posts in the party or the government?" asked the leader, who is also a MP.
"By giving him importance in the party, the BJP can send a message to its rank and file that all the allegations against the former party chief were wrong and it can also regain the confidence of the Dalits who were annoyed at the party's decision to sideline their leader," he argued.
But not everyone agrees.
One Dalit leader from Uttar Pradesh went on to argue that Laxman had done nothing for the Dalit community.
"Bangaru Laxman has nothing to do with the Dalits. Nobody knew him before he became the president of BJP. His return to major posts in the BJP or government would give a chance to the opposition to dub the BJP a corrupt party.
"By bringing back Bangaru Laxman, the BJP is not going to gain anything among the Dalits in northern India. The government has already got more than 10 lower-caste members in the cabinet. Why should it bring a tainted leader?" he asked.
But the possibility of Bangaru becoming a minister is causing unease among party veterans who too have been clamouring for a cabinet post but have been cold shouldered by Vajpayee.
"If Bangaru is brought back to the cabinet just to score the points against someone, the consequences will be disastrous," warned a BJP MP and a ministerial aspirant.
"The prime minister would be making a grave mistake if he takes him back in the Union ministry. There's no dearth of leaders in the party. Why should Vajpayee induct a tainted leader?"
Indo-Asian News Service
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