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Jat rally a Raje Govt.-sponsored event: Congress

Special Correspondent

No member of the party belonging to the Jat community will participate in it, says PCC chief

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Pradesh Congress on Sunday termed the proposed August 23 rally of the Jat Mahasabha in support of former External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh as a "Government-sponsored event'' and affirmed that no Congress member belonging to the Jat community would participate in it.

PCC president B.D. Kalla, vice-president Hari Singh and Leader of Congress Legislature Party Ramnarain Chaudhary charged at a press conference here that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was going all out to make the rally a success to embarrass Congress and build up a support base among farmers.

Mr. Kalla said the Jat Mahasabha and Kisan Sangharsh Samiti had planned the rally to openly challenge Congress which has suspended Mr. Natwar Singh and his son and MLA, Jagat Singh, for their alleged involvement in the oil-for-food scam and anti-party activities.

"It is not merely a social event as is being made out. Far from it, it is a blatant attempt to resort to murky caste politics,'' he said.

The PCC president alleged that Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje had met Mr. Jagat Singh twice recently to devise a strategy for creating divisions in the Jat community and had instructed her Cabinet colleagues to take care of various aspects of the rally and provide facilities to participants to make the meeting successful.

Mr. Kalla said the BJP had joined hands with Mr. Natwar Singh and the caucus around him in an attempt to "whitewash its failure to take any step for farmers' welfare."

"The BJP-led Government which killed 16 farmers in nine firing and 22 lathicharge incidents is now trying to make inroads into Jats by exploiting the suspension of Mr. Natwar Singh,'' he said.

The PCC tried to put a brave face on the issue by ensuring the presence of a large number of Jat leaders during the interaction with mediapersons and hosted a sumptuous lunch after the press conference, which is not the usual practice at the PCC headquarters. Dr. Hari Singh affirmed that only a handful of Congress members were with Mr. Natwar Singh "due to their vested interests''.

CLP Leader Mr. Chaudhary said Mr. Natwar Singh had no mass following and was "not capable of winning even a village panchayat or municipality election." "His audacity to move the privilege motion against the Prime Minister was a very serious offence. He should have been straightaway expelled from the party,'' he said.

Mr. Chaudhary said the Congress had given immense respect and high positions to Mr. Natwar Singh, "which he did not deserve''. The former External Affairs Minister had no soft corner for the Jat community to which he belonged and was now seeking its support only because of the present crisis, he added.

Former Minister Chandrabhan and PCC general secretary Suchitra Arya said Mr. Natwar Singh was himself responsible for the situation in which he had landed himself. "He is now siding with the BJP and Samajwadi Party leaders. Both he and his son should resign from Congress membership on moral grounds,'' said Mr. Chandrabhan.

Referring to the controversy over Mr. Jagat Singh's suspension, Mr. Kalla said the PCC was fully empowered to suspend him and issue him the show cause notice for expulsion.

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Jat rally a Raje Govt.-sponsored event: Congress

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