CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury today demanded that the Cente take action against a BJP-linked outfit for "brazenly misusing" government offices, including that of the External Affairs Ministry, in Malaysia to claim "official" support for its "unofficial" Yoga Day event.
Yechury had earlier raised objections to the outfit, Overseas Friends of BJP, Malaysia, making such a declaration through a poster and written to External Affairs Minister Swaraj, who said the flyer was later withdrawn.
In his fresh letter to Swaraj over the issue, the Rajya Sabha MP demanded that she "strongly" conveys to BJP and its affiliates that they should not "misuse" such government initiatives or programmes for their own "partisan propaganda".
"I appreciate that following your intervention the flyer issued by the Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) has been withdrawn.
"Drawing from this episode, I hope you are taking the next logical step to punish, in accordance with law, those who have so brazenly misused the offices of your ministry and mission in Malaysia," Yechury said in the letter.
He added, "I am sure that you would strongly convey to the BJP and its affiliates that they should not misuse such government initiatives/programmes for their own partisan propaganda."
In response to Yechury's first letter, dated June 8, to her in this regard, Swaraj had said the OFBJP was "keen to contribute" to the International Yoga Day event being organised by Indian High Commission in Malaysia on June 19 at Cheras Indoor Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
"Their (of the OFBJP) enthusiasm, while understandable, has however, made them to inaccurately project the event as being led by them and supported by the High Commission and Government Ministries. The flyer since has been withdrawn," she had said.
In the initial letter, Yechury had taken strong objections to the organisation's claim of having Indian government's support for its "unofficial" Yoga Day event and demanded Swaraj to conduct "proper" probe in the matter.
He had also sought the issue of the outfit making such a declaration through a poster to be discussed during meeting of the Ministry's Consultative Committee, of which the Marxist leader is a member.
