The Hindu : National : "PM's statement short on truth"

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Friday, May 06, 2005

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National

"PM's statement short on truth"

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, on Thursday charged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was "short on truth" ("kam tathya ujagar kiye, zyada chipa liye")" in his statement in Parliament as he had not only failed to take the initiative in breaking the parliamentary standoff between the Treasury and Opposition benches but had not given any assurance that the Opposition would be allowed to have its say.

Ms. Swaraj claimed that the Opposition was not allowed to speak on April 26, although she admitted later that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee did make a long speech that day. The "deal" made after Mr. Vajpayee's speech was that the Opposition would walk out of the two Houses and allow government business to carry on after the leaders of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha make their points. "While in the Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh made his points, in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani was not allowed to speak. What would have been a walkout was then converted into a boycott."

On Dr. Singh's charge that the Opposition had falsely and baselessly alleged that his Government had tried to prevent Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf from seeing Mr. Vajpayee, Ms. Swaraj said the BJP made that point "quoting from news reports."

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