BJP stops short of attacking Mulayam on Emergency pensions

New Delhi, June 27 (UNI) The BJP today stopped short of attacking Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh for announcing pensions for those arrested for defying the Congress imposed Emergency rule on the country and said that the MISA and DIR detenues deserved all recognition but not pension.

Commenting on Mr Mulayam Singh's announcement about UP Government paying pension for Emergency detenues, BJP Spokesman Prakash Javadekar said the emergency detenues certainly deserved all recognition because it was a sacrifice for upholding democratic values in independent India but it certainly was not a pensionable deed.

He said the issue figured when the Janata Party Government headed by Morarji Desai was in power at the Centre and several states in the country and the Bharatiya Jana Sangh which was part of the Janata Party and RSS had taken a principled stand that the brave acts of liberating the country in the second freedom struggle was a duty of a citizen and hence did not deserve pension.

Accusing Mr Mulayam Singh of using pension as a bait on the eve of elections, Mr Javadekar said the BJP would certainly fight openly with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh because it took the state to backwardness by its bad governance.

About Congress Spokesman Rajiv Shukla's allegations that the RSS and BJP did not think about freedom fighters as they did not have any, Mr Javadekar said Mr Shukla's generation of Congressmen knew very little about the freedom or any struggle and were ignorant about people behind the moment and reminded that persons like Keshav Hedgewar was a key person in Vidarbha Congress.

UNI MCN-KAS RP DS1645