The Hindu : National : "Conspiracy" to overthrow Modi Government: Sushma

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Sunday, May 29, 2005

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National

"Conspiracy" to overthrow Modi Government: Sushma

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Sushma Swaraj, Bharatiya Janata Party leader, on Saturday warned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that his image would not remain untouched by the "undemocratic ways" of his government.

The Centre was "conspiring" to overthrow the Modi Government — an allegation made on Friday by the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee — and that was the purpose of its setting up a three-man ministerial committee to look into allegations made by a senior Gujarat police officer, she said here.

When the Nanavati Commission was already looking into the Gujarat riots and the Banerjee Commission had been set up to inquire into the Godhra episode, what was the need for a Group of Ministers to consider allegations made "merely by an official with no credibility?" Was the Manmohan Singh Government ruling through the Central Bureau of Investigation?

"Other undemocratic ways"

The summary dismissal of three members of the National Commission for Women before the end of their term and the absence of any UPA representative in the Central Hall of Parliament on Saturday on the occasion of the birth anniversary of V.D. Savarkar were the other points she mentioned as "evidence of the Government's undemocratic ways".

She was asked whether it was politically correct on the part of BJP general secretary and Gujarat Rajya Sabha member Arun Jaitley to represent stock broker Ketan Parekh, who was accused in a scandal that led to the collapse of the Madhepura Cooperative Bank in Gujarat and consequent loss of crores to small depositors. The scandal broke out during the Vajpayee regime.

Ms. Swaraj said: "Professional responsibility as a practising lawyer and political responsibility as MP or party general secretary are two different things. Some may feel that there is some contradiction, but that is not correct. As a lawyer Mr. Jaitley cannot refuse a client (Ketan Parekh) as long as he is ready to pay his fees. He is an MP from Gujarat, `prabhari' of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, election in-charge in Tamil Nadu. One cannot expect that he will not take up cases offered to him from any of these States."

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