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Congress accused of taking `U' turn on fiscal reforms

By Our Staff Correspondent

SHIMLA, JUNE 9 . The former Himachal Chief Minister and leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Assembly, Prem Kumar Dhumal, has accused the ruling Congress of taking a "U'' turn on the issue of signing a memorandum of understanding with the Government of India on Mid- Term Fiscal Reforms Programme (MTFRP). While bringing a resolution in the House under Rule 130, the BJP leader said it was the same Congress which had opposed the very draft of the MoU when in the Opposition.

Surprisingly, the Congress now was trying to give an impression that by signing the MoU it was undertaking the unfinished task of the BJP, he said. He clarified that the then BJP- led Government had tabled the draft of the MoU in the House for discussion. He refuted the Congress charge that the Dhumal Government had brought it before the elections and sat on the same for at least three years.

Quoting the Vidhan Sabha proceedings, Mr. Dhumal said that Chander Kumar, the Forest Minister who recently won the Parliamentary elections, had then said: "It would be a death warrant for any party to sign this anti-people MoU''. He further said that the Congress members left the "Select Vidhan Sabha Committee'' formed to discuss the draft saying that they never wanted to become a party to it. The Congress leaders had then called it an "undemocratic, anti-people, anti-employee and anti-farmer'' proposal, Mr. Dhumal said.

Cornering the Congress further on the issue, the BJP leader charged that the Government on the one hand was signing the memo comprising stringent conditions of downsizing, voluntary retirement, finishing of all subsidies, no new recruitments, imposing new user charges and other fiscal disciplines and on the other hand it was giving allurements for more jobs and more avenues in all fields.

Taking part in the discussion, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Kaul Singh, called it a doubletalk and hypocrisy on the part of the BJP. He said the State Government had to sign it to get more funds and the Cabinet had already discussed the issue before signing it. He claimed that the BJP delayed the draft proposal intentionally and then gained time because of approaching elections. It had become necessary to sign the MoU because there was danger of the new proposals taken to the Government of India being turned down. By signing it the State Government had not lost but gained and the ball was still in our court, he claimed. The Chief Minister was also to take part in the discussion late in the evening.

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