Former Prime Minister of India Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee, while referring to the debate in the Parliament on the issue of India'sagreement on nuclear cooperation with the US, came down heavily upon the UPA government. He said: ?During the debate in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told Shri Advani that to bring the UPA government down, you should take permission from Shri Vajpayee. I want to say that we believe in collective leadership. NDA is still functioning well due to collective and cohesive leadership. Since the days of the Jan Sangh, we have been practicing collective leadership. Therefore, we had a very stable government during the National Democratic Alliance rule, which consisted of many parties. The way the UPA government is functioning, it is better if it crumbles.? Shri Vajpayee was speaking at a function in New Delhi to celebrate the Amrit Mahotsav of Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra. The function was organised by Delhi unit of BJP and the RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri K.S. Sudarshan, Prant Sanghachalak of Delhi RSS Shri Satya Narain Bansal and senior leaders of BJP including Shri A.B. Vajpayee, Shri L.K. Advani, Shri Rajnath Singh, Smt Sushma Swaraj, Dr Harshvardhan and others were there to give Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra their good wishes.
Speaking on the occasion, the Sarsangha-chalak of RSS Shri K.S. Sudarshan castigated the UPA government for the Indo-US nuclear deal, which compromises on India'sstrategic interests and casts a shadow over its independent foreign policy. ?It has been US? policy to capture other countries? resources for exploiting their benefits. India has developed its sovereign nuclear policy all these years despite all oppositions and restrictions imposed by the US. Now that we have developed an independent and reliant nuclear programme, the US is trying to capture it,? he said. Showering praise on the Vajpayee-led NDA government, Shri Sudarshan said the nuclear tests in Pokharan had been conducted despite the threat of sanctions from the US. ?India has done everything on its own. We conducted the nuclear tests when Shri Vajpayee was the Prime Minister and the US did not even know about them,? he added. Shri Sudarshan further said even though sanctions were imposed on India after Pokharan-II, but India did not give up its nuclear programme. In fact, Indians residing in other countries helped India with so much money and other resources that we did not worry about sanctions, but now we allow the US to control us, he added. Referring to the statement of Prime Minister at the National Development Council that Muslims should get the first right on national resources, Shri Sudarshan said why should Muslims have the right to claim the resources first? Why not others?
Speaking on the occasion, former Deputy Prime Minister of India Shri L.K. Advani exhorted Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra to work more aggressively in the Lok Sabha to complement him. He recalled how Shri Malhotra achieved a grand victory as Corporator in 1951 in East Patel Nagar, Delhi, which was Jan Sangh'sfirst election victory.
Vice-President Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat conveyed his greetings to Prof Malhotra, though he could not attend the function because of the ongoing debate on Indo-US nuclear deal in the Rajya Sabha.
The BJP President Shri Rajnath Singh dwelt upon length on six-decade-old political career of Prof Malhotra and commended his simple, disciplined and honest lifestyle.
Each of the speakers recalled Shri Malhotra'scontribution to the Sangh and the BJP over a period of six decades during which he had remained true to the RSS ideology. Acknowledging the party leaders? and RSS Sarsanghachalak'sgreetings, Prof Malhotra said some people thought that this function was planned to project him as the party'snext chief ministerial candidate. ?Let me dispel that impression. I am not in the race for that position,? he said. He further said the Sangh'sconcept of Rashtra dharma and Hindutva impelled him to work for the betterment of the country.
Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra worked as RSS Pracharak in 1940s. In 1950s, he was the founder member of the Jan Sangh. He became the youngest Chief Executive Councillor of Delhi in 1960s. He was elected the President of Delhi Jan Sangh in 1970s. Representatives from various organisations like VHP, ABVP, BMS, Delhi Vyapar Mandal, Delhi BJP Legislative Party, Arya Samaj, Hindu Mahasabha and others greeted Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra on this auspicious occasion. ?By Deepak Kumar Rath
