The Hindu : Najma opportunistic, says Congress

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 25, 2004

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National

Najma opportunistic, says Congress

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 24. The Congress today responded to the criticism of the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson, Najma Heptullah, against the Congress leadership stating that it reflected the "level and quality of opportunism.''

The party said Ms. Heptullah's charge of having been humiliated was baseless as it was the Congress which had given her four terms in the Council of States and supported her to become the Deputy Chairperson of the House for over a decade.

"If giving four terms is a humiliation... it only means somebody is hungry for more,'' the party spokesperson, Kapil Sibal said, adding that in the hearts of Congress workers she did not belong to the party ever since she had received an award from the RSS chief, K.S. Sudarshan.

Commenting on reports about her tilt towards the BJP, Mr. Sibal said the party knew it was coming and said the question of taking any action like expelling her from the Congress was "irrelevant''.

Mr. Sibal likened her movement towards the BJP to the flight of Siberian crane during winter in search of food and greener pastures.

He asserted that her act would not cause any damage to the Congress and would in fact "expose her.''

Ahmed Patel, political secretary to the Congress president, also joined issue with Ms. Heptullah and said it was not fair on her part to have dragged the issue of minorities.

Asked for his reaction on the development, Mr. Patel said that the high post given to her by the Congress also helped her become the president of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Disputing her statement that the Congress President did not even congratulate her on becoming the IPU chief, Mr. Patel said that senior party leader, Pranab Mukherjee, had hosted a dinner in her honour, which was attended by Ms. Sonia Gandhi.

Reacting to it, the former Union Minister, Saifuddin Soz, said Ms. Heputallah's move had given a "rude shock to her admirers'' by "unjustifiably seeking parallel to Gujarat massacres in the previous riots in India.''

He said political observers felt Ms. Heptullah would soon learn to her horror that the community she professes to represent will be on the other side of the fence for substantially important political reasons.

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