Wednesday, Dec 10, 2003
Wednesday, Dec 10, 2003 |
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By K.V. Prasad
"In the face of a clear verdict of the people and the fact that he had ceased to be the leader of the Congress Legislative Party, he should never have written the letter he did to the Governor, expressing the support of the Congress legislators for the splinter group of BJP MLAs," Ms. Gandhi told the general body of the Congress Parliamentary Party here. Having acted swiftly against Mr. Jogi after the audio tape controversy erupted, Ms. Gandhi said that on the other allegations, the party was for a thorough and impartial investigation. The Chhattisgarh Government had already handed over the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation. She said the Congress Governments in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan were the victims of a strong anti-incumbency sentiment despite their acknowledged track record of achievement in growth and welfare. It was necessary to draw "appropriate lessons from our defeat" and prepare for the many challenges ahead. Taking objection to the manner in which the BJP leadership had conducted the poll campaign, Ms. Gandhi said that it saw a "new low being reached" and alleged that the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had never been so "blatantly partisan or condoned corruption so brazenly." She alleged that both he and his Cabinet colleagues had propagated "many falsehoods" and, contrary to claims, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad were very much part of the BJP campaign. Turning to the problem in Assam and the killings of labourers from Bihar in the State, Ms. Gandhi alleged that one of the National Democratic Alliance partners had also stoked violence in Mumbai on the issue of employment to the locals. She said the Assam and Bihar Governments had moved swiftly to restore social peace and harmony. In the context of the northeast, she warned that with the toppling of the Congress Government in Arunachal Pradesh, the party would have to be "extremely watchful" about what the BJP was doing in the region.
'PM must make statement on PSUs'
On the Chief Vigilance Commissioner's meeting with Mr. Vajpayee with regard to the functioning of Public Sector Undertakings, she demanded that the Prime Minister make a statement. The Government should take "visibly credible steps" to ensure that the commercial and managerial autonomy of the PSUs was fully respected and that the Ministers did not ignore the recommendations of the CVC. Referring to the fake stamp paper scam, she said the BJP's attempt to create an impression that the Congress was opposed to a CBI inquiry was false. She recounted the steps taken by the Karnataka Government in the case. The Government had dubbed the Dilip Singh Judev tapes "fabricated" and it had to be watched whether the CBI would be allowed to probe the matter in a free and fair manner. Ridiculing the "outpouring of self-congratulations" from the NDA on the economic front, she said that despite the claims, unemployment continued to mount. On foreign affairs, she welcomed the peace initiatives between India and Pakistan and said the party broadly supported the Centre for opening a dialogue with the All Parties Hurriyat Conference in Jammu and Kashmir.
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