The Hindu : National : When Manmohan matched word for word

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Friday, Mar 11, 2005

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National

When Manmohan matched word for word

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 10. The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has never enjoyed a reputation for being a scintillating parliamentarian. Nor for repartee. But today he gave evidence to the contrary.

In the middle of a long — and characteristically humdrum — reply to the debate on the motion of thanks in the Rajya Sabha, Dr. Singh uncharacteristically took a swipe at the former Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani.

The Prime Minister said: "When the NDA Government took office, 130 districts were counted as naxalite-affected; when they left office, the number had risen to 170. This at a time when the great Sardar Patel II was presiding over the Home Ministry."

The Congress, the Left and the Samajwadi benches erupted in appreciative laughter. But before the stunned BJP benches could realise what had hit them, the Prime Minister moved on to outlining his Government's approach to foreign policy.

Invisible Prime Minister

Earlier in the Lok Sabha, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Advani, had a dig at Dr. Singh, calling him an "invisible Prime Minister" and found fault with the Government's approach towards the naxalite problem.

The Prime Minister had a score to settle and did it with panache.

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