Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi feels that the country needs a leadership that is based on principles and express views clearly without worrying whether the Prime Minister will be pleased or angry, and argue with him. Speaking at a memorial meeting for Congress leader and former Union minister S Jaipal Reddy, who passed away on July 28 in Hyderabad, Joshi said that the practice of holding discussions cutting across party lines on issues of national and international importance is “almost finished” and there is a need to revive it.
“Mein aisa samajhta hun ki aajkal aise netritva ki bohut aavashyakata hain jo siddhanton ke saat bebaaki ke saat aur bin kuch is baat ke chinta kiye hue pradhan mantri naraaz honge ya khush honge, apni baat saaf saaf kehte hain, unse bahas karte hain. (I feel there is an acute need for such a leadership today that can, based on principles, without fear, express views clearly without worrying whether the Prime Minister will be pleased or angry, and argue with him),” he said.
He recalled that when Reddy was a minister, he was part of a key forum for discussions on Intellectual Property Rights in the 1990s. He said that Reddy would often agree with the other members irrespective of the government line.
Joshi said that when Reddy became a minister, he agreed to convey the forum’s views to the Prime Minister. When his opinion was sought, Joshi said that Reddy without any hesitation, in clear words, said that he agrees with the proposal of the forum.
He noted that there used to be an attempt in various forums to have people from different parties to try and form an opinion on national and international issues.
Those attempts have almost finished, he said, adding that it is important to revive such practices.
The BJP veteran along with other leaders, including Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, paid rich tributes to Reddy.
Reddy passed away on July 28 at the age of 77. A parliamentarian for several decades, he held key portfolios in various governments. He was a four-term MLA, member of Lok Sabha for five terms and member of Rajya Sabha for two terms.
