The Hindu : Vajpayee is neither clear nor firm, says Sonia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 05, 2004

National

National

Vajpayee is neither clear nor firm, says Sonia

By Our Special Correspondent

The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, the Lok Sabha Speaker, Manohar Joshi (second from right), the Deputy Speaker, P.M. Sayeed (centre) with other members of Parliament at a joint photo session at the Parliament House in New Delhi on Wednesday. - Photo: Shanker Chakravarty

NEW DELHI, FEB. 4. The Leader of the Opposition, Sonia Gandhi, today claimed that the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was neither clear nor firm on key issues such as ``corruption involving his Cabinet colleagues,'' Ayodhya, the mass killings in Gujarat, relations with Pakistan and policy towards Jammu and Kashmir.

Though she was initiating the debate on the interim budget in the Lok Sabha , Ms. Gandhi's speech was more in the nature of an election speech. She accused the National Democratic Alliance Government of having failed on all fronts. Setting the tone for her party's election pitch, she suggested that the "real Vajpayee'' was still anybody's guess. She also alluded to the Dev Anand movie by the title "Asli - Naqli ".

Contesting the Government's claim of a "feel good factor", Ms. Gandhi said the government's main achievement was the number of scams that had taken place in its tenure. "Defence, UTI, DDA allotments, HUDCO, Tehelka, the Judeo Video tape, the list is endless" she said. Charging Mr. Vajpayee with ``doublespeak'', she said while he asked political parties to exercise restraint during the election process, he had done little to restrain his own Cabinet colleagues.

The Leader of the Opposition also charged the NDA Government with selectively targeting institutions such as the Comptroller and Auditor-General, the Central Vigilance Commission, the Election Commission and the National Human Rights Commission. She referred to the CBI's inability to file a revised chargesheet in the Ayodhya case as an example of how investigating agencies were feeling handicapped.

Ms. Gandhi accused the Government of having woken up to the need for a Defence Modernisation Fund on the eve of elections. " Though we have been demanding this for years, large amounts earmarked for this purpose has remained unspent which was detrimental to national security," she said. She said that even the CAG has deprecated the Government for its ``failure'' to ensure transparency in defence purchases. Ms. Gandhi held the Government responsible for not initiating any discussion on the Subramanian Committee report on the Kargil conflict.

Targeting the Government's handling of the economy, she said the Finance Minister's policies had resulted in the rise of unemployment, with the youth facing a bleak future. She also criticised the Government's disinvestment policy and said that Public Sector Undertaking's were being sold to a few "selected people at throwaway prices".

Ms. Gandhi accused the Government of not having done anything for farmers and referred to reports of farmers committing suicide. " They are in a debt trap and you have not paid their arrears nor have you procured what they have produced."

The Government had also failed to get the Women's Reservation Bill passed and was attempting to " divide the country on communal lines," she charged.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National