BJP to target Sonia in Parliament

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi may well win the Rae Bareli bypolls but the BJP is unlikely to give her any respite, having decided to continue training its guns on her on the issues of office of profit and the Volcker controversy in the second part of the Budget session starting May 10.
In a meeting of BJP’s top leaders here on Monday, to be chaired by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the party would chalk out its strategy for the session and identify other issues.

With the first half of the Budget session ending on a controversial note over the office of profit issue, the BJP does not want any legislation in the ensuing session that will exempt the National Advisory Council — previously headed by Ms Gandhi — from being an office of profit.
The party has made it clear that it wants the NAC to be dismantled— something which has also been supported by union minister Raghuvansh Prasad of the RJD.
Refusing to spell out its own stand on the issue, the party recently had asked the government to first reveal its plans. “The BJP wants the true spirit of the Constitution strictly adhered to on the issue. This means that legislators should not possess executive powers as then this would go against the basic spirit of the Constitution,” a senior party leader said.
Moreover, sources indicated that the party wanted to stay “inflexible” on the issue as it is the Congress and the Left parties who are likely to face problems under the current scheme of things.
“The BJP has little to lose as only a few of its MPs are named in the petitions referred to the Election Commission. But, proportionately it is the Left parties who have more to lose. By taking a tough stand the party hopes to embarrass both the Congress and the Left and at the same time claim high moral grounds,” said a political expert.
Besides, with the noose getting tighter over former external affairs minister Natwar Singh on the Volcker issue, the party is likely to up the ante on the Congress party as it is the other Indian entity named in the report.
While telecom and communications minister Dayanidhi Maran will also be targeted over allegations in a news report, sources said the party is likely to take up other issues like talks on Siachen and the killing of Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir, spiralling prices, power and water shortage in northern India, sealing and demolition drive in Delhi among others.
BJP president Rajnath Singh, leaders of Opposition in both Houses LK Advani and Jaswant Singh, and other senior leaders will be attending the meeting.