BJP in a bind over Sonia's origin

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naquvi was hard put to explain whether he considered the post of Leader of Opposition, held by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, a "constitutional post".

"I choose not to respond this query and you can write it," a flustered Naquvi said when asked about clarification. In fact, Naquvi raked up the issue of Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin and said she did not have the right to claim the top constitutional post merely because she adhered to Indian traditions.

"There are many foreigners who live by Indian traditions but that does not entitle them to hold the constitutional posts," he said. Apparently, Naquvi was responding to Gandhi's assertion that her Indianness could not be snatched away by anyone. "She must not make such claims," he said.

But the BJP spokesman found himself at the receiving end when asked if the BJP proposed to bring a law to ban people of the foreign origin to occupy constitutional posts. "I will not say anything on this," he said, adding the party was of the view that posts of senior government functionaries be occupied by the people of Indian origin only.

Naquvi's agony compounded when he was asked a specific query about the party's views on the post of the leader of Opposition held by Gandhi. After a great deal of fumbling, he declined to respond to the query.

But Naquvi was quick to make his political point that the performance of the Congress chief ministers in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattigarh and Delhi was miserable. "Gandhi has chosen to ignore this," he said.