The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Politics is not like cricket, declares Kapil Sibal

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Sunday, May 04, 2008
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Politics is not like cricket, declares Kapil Sibal

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: Union Minister for Science and Technology on Saturday advised Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani not to bring down the “serious business of politics and elections to the level of the ongoing IPL Twenty20 cricket matches aimed at giving some entertainment to the people”.

The Congress leader was responding to Mr. Advani’s statement that the Bharatiya Janata Party had already appointed B.S. Yeddyurappa captain of the BJP team, something the Congress could not do because it was not sure of winning the elections. He pointed out that the seat sharing pact between the Janata Dal (Secular) and the BJP was for 20 months each. Politics, he said, was about providing good governance, ensuring law and order and development, and not about bargaining for plum portfolios, over which the coalition government eventually fell.

The party was not ready to oblige JD(S) president H.D. Deve Gowda and seek his help in forming the government, as the Congress would get a majority on its own, he said.

On the worrying rise in inflation, Mr. Sibal said that the Union Government had sufficient food stocks. When the National Democratic Alliance was at the helm in 2001, inflation had touched 8.5 per cent, Mr. Sibal said.

The Centre had written to all Chief Ministers to crack down on black marketeers and hoarders, who were also responsible for the rise in prices.

State governments should invoke the Essential Commodities Act to rein in black marketeers, he said.

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