The Hindu : National : Usher in secular Government, says V.P. Singh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 04, 2004

National

National

Usher in secular Government, says V.P. Singh

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 3. The former Prime Minister, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, today urged the people to vote out the Bharatiya Janata Party and replace it with a secular Government at the Centre.

At a press conference today, Mr. Singh contested the BJP's claim of providing a stable Government, saying that its brand of stability was harmful to the unity and cohesiveness of the country. "More parties have quit the National Democratic Alliance than joined it."

He accused the BJP of having brought down the National Front Government in 1990 and expressed regrets for having taken its support to form the Government. "I did not realise it earlier, but after Gujarat I realised that it was a huge mistake to have taken their support," he said.

Mr. Singh, who is undergoing chemotherapy and dialysis, regretted that he was unable to actively campaign. That does not prevent him from airing his views on subjects that form part of public discourse today.

He is travelling to Kolkata tomorrow, and later in the week to Chennai, where he will address the media in support of the Left parties and the DMK combine respectively.

Today, Mr. Singh joined issue with the BJP on issues such as the "feel good factor," the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin issue and the possibility of the secular parties coming together after the polls. He accused the BJP of trying to "bend the rules" to suit its political ends on the question of Ms. Gandhi's citizenship. His argument was that once a person had been granted citizenship there was nothing in the rules to prevent that person from becoming the Prime Minister. "Citizenship is the highest position, you can only become Prime Minister if you are a citizen. There cannot be two grades of citizenship. You are either a reliable citizen or you are not," he said.

Referring to the BJP's `feel good' campaign, Mr. Singh said it did not reflect the situation in the country. "Farmers are committing suicide, weavers are on the verge of being wiped out, the youth are without jobs. When people are hungry where is India Shining?" he asked. He said the "feel good" campaign had boomeranged on the BJP. "From feeling good, they have started feeling nervous and they will end up feeling sad," he said.

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