BJP MP Harischandra Chavan being brought to the House in an ambulance. (PTI)

New Delhi, July 22: The government has sailed through, but the BJP is counting the gains from the “tainted” victory.

Sources claimed that the image of wads of notes being waved inside Parliament would remain on people’s minds and also pointed out that the party had wrested the limelight Mayavati had been hogging in the run-up to the vote.

Party leaders were quick to dub the government’s victory “corrupt” and “manipulated” and their slogans demanding Manmohan Singh’s resignation ensured that the Prime Minister didn’t get the opportunity to explain the ugly “currency spectacle”.

The leaders were confident that the UPA charge of a conspiracy to defame the government wouldn’t hold water as the bribery scandal was on tape and said the party would exploit it in the coming months.

L.K. Advani himself revealed the BJP’s mind. “There is something like numerical legitimacy and moral legitimacy. The government scored numerical victory but lost on moral grounds,” the leader of Opposition said. “Earlier, there were only suspicions, but today’s episode has validated the fact that money was used.”

The BJP members who claimed Samajwadi leaders offered them bribes had staged the unseemly drama only after Advani’s go-ahead.

Experts questioned the wisdom of creating a scene in the Lok Sabha instead of alerting police or the Speaker but BJP leaders were not worried. They say it is the government that has to do the explaining now.

General secretary Arun Jaitley said “material resources were used by the Congress and the SP and the victory was predominantly based on tainted vote”. Another leader claimed that the bribery issue came as a “gift”.

Others said they were relieved that the government had not fallen on the nuclear deal as they wanted to fight the next election on issues like price rise and terrorism.

The Mayavati factor had also sprung up to create a new worry the BJP will not have to grapple with now.

The BJP leadership, however, has to come to terms with the fact that the government has got another chance to redeem itself.

If the government reins in inflation, takes steps to rev up reforms and introduces a slew of welfare schemes, the BJP might have to enter the poll ring in an entirely new — and less favourable — ambience.