BJP snubs Shanta Kumar over his ‘mann ki baat’

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday snubbed party veteran Shanta Kumar over his demand for a 'Lokpal' in the party to tackle the cases of corruption like Vyapam but the former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister maintained that he had only stated his "Mann ki baat" (feelings of his heart).

On a day his letter to BJP chief Amit Shah left the party red-faced, Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy shot back, saying Kumar had been carried away by Congress "propaganda".

"We generally consider Shanta Kumar a very mature leader. But it seems that he has been carried away by the propaganda of the Congress. Whatever he has said or written, we completely disassociate with Mr Shanta Kumar's version," Rudy told reporters here.

In an embarrassment to government and BJP over their claims that its ministers and chief ministers have done nothing illegal and immoral, Kumar said fingers from "Rajasthan to Maharashtra are being pointed at us" while Vyapam scam has "made all of us bow our heads in shame".

"What as a BJP worker I thought is right I told the party president. We feel proud of our achievements and when the party is stained, then we feel pained... I don't worry about how many people are with me. I with simplicity and without any fear put forth my 'mann ki baat'," he told NDTV.

The 80-year-old former union minister denied reports that he was unhappy with the party leadership and said he will abide by whatever decision Modi and Shah take on the matter. 'Mann ki baat' is a regular radio programme in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks candidly on a variety of issues. In his letter to Shah, Kumar sought constitution of an "ethics committee" which, he said, should act like a Lokpal to "keep a check on leaders in the government".