Rajnath distances BJP, self from narcotic episode

BHUBANESWAR: Caught in a bind, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajanath Singh on Tuesday sought to maintain a distance from the Rahul Mahajan drug abuse episode by maintaining that it was a family matter and he and his party had nothing to do with it.

Mr Singh also refused to react to the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s remark that Rahul’s involvement in the alleged drug abuse could be a “young-age mistake”.

“This is a family matter. The police inquiry is on. I have no comments to make,” Mr Singh, on a two-day visit to the state, told reporters here. Mr Singh said Rahul was never a BJP member, but had recently expressed his desire to get involved in party activities.

He also evaded yet another query on whether the BJP was closing its doors on the late leader Pramod Mahajan’s son. He merely said: “I am not able to hear you.”

Mr Singh also tried his best to play down the division within the party on the controversial quota issue. “There is no controversy as it is made out to be in a section of the media.

The national executive has endorsed whatever I had said on Monday and the party was united in its stand,” the BJP president retorted.