The Hindu : National : Congress has not learnt any lessons, says BJP

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 20, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

Congress has not learnt any lessons, says BJP

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the Congress of being undemocratic and “refusing to learn any lessons from Goa, Bihar and Jharkhand.” Its criticism came in the wake of Wednesday’s resignation of the Congress government in Meghalaya, led by D.D. Lapang, to make way for a Meghalaya Progressive Alliance government as he could not muster the requisite majority.

The party’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, said the Congress tried to do in Meghalaya what it also tried in Jharkhand. “When MLAs on the other side had already demonstrated their strength before the Governor, what was the need for the Congress to try and grab power,” she asked.

It was a question to which the Congress later responded at its own briefing by pointing out that the Congress had emerged the single largest party in Meghalaya and constitutionally the Governor had taken the correct decision by inviting the party.

When Mr. Lapang could not prove his majority he had resigned in the “highest democratic traditions.” Party spokesperson Manish Tewari added the party had not indulged in horse-trading and the proof was the fact that it was not able to muster majority although it needed only a couple of MLAs.

The Congress also pointed out that in 1996, the then President Shankar Dayal Sharma had also invited Atal Bihari Vajpayee to form a government as the BJP was then the single largest party. That government also fell as it failed to prove its majority.

However, the BJP’s point was that in this instance, in Meghalaya, the “other side” had already proved its majority before the Governor and submitted the names of MLAs who were supporting it. The Congress should have, therefore, desisted from forming a government.

Stance on Taslima

Ms. Swaraj also criticised the Centre for the treatment meted out to Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, who had now left India. “The government’s behaviour towards her is unacceptable and shameful. She was given asylum here and was a guest. She should not have been hounded out.”

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National