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Arjun Singh’s remarks “unfair, incorrect”

PUDUCHERRY: Union Minister of State for Planning and Parliamentary Affairs V. Narayanasamy on Sunday said Union Minister for Human Resource Development Arjun Singh’s criticism of the Congress high command was “unfair and incorrect.”

Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Narayanasamy, who is also the All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of organisational affairs in Madhya Pradesh, said Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in accordance with the democratic traditions of the party, had been providing adequate opportunity to leaders, including members of the AICC and Congress working committee, to express their views at party fora on issues of national importance and intra-party problems.

Similar discussions were held during the period of former Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi and P.V.Narasimha Rao, he said.

He cited the example of Ms. Gandhi calling a meeting recently to discuss issues relating to price rise, where CWC members and party functionaries sought clarifications from Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.

According to him, Mr. Singh rarely spoke and made brief remarks at CWC meetings.

As Congress chief Ms. Gandhi had considered the views of the critics of the party.

Apart from the CWC members, Pradesh Congress Committee presidents, Chief Ministers of States and Union Territories and Legislators are able to call on Ms. Gandhi to discuss issues pertaining to the country and their regions, he said.

Mr. Narayanasamy, however, would not attribute motives to the remarks made by Mr. Singh.

In the wake of complaints from voluntary agencies that 30 per cent of the funds allocated by the Centre for the development of rural areas was not being spent properly, he would be visiting the States for review meetings with the officials concerned. He would visit Rajasthan by the month-end and hold such meetings in Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry next month.

On the Women’s Reservation Bill, he said efforts were on to ensure that it was passed in Parliament during the monsoon session. The Bill had been referred to the Standing Committee headed by E.M. Sudarsana Nachiappan, which would submit its report in a couple of months. This would be followed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Ms. Gandhi talking to leaders of various parties to evolve a consensus on the issue.

On the demand for statehood for Puducherry, Mr. Narayanasamy said in the prevailing situation, it would be ideal for the Union Territory to achieve the special category status so that it would be able to tackle its financial problems without difficulty.

He asked the government to prepare a feasibility report to highlight the demand and forward it to the Union Home Minister.

Tourism Minister of Puducherry Malladi Krishna Rao had only echoed the feelings of the people of the Yanam region while opposing the Assembly resolution seeking statehood, he said.

He urged the Union Territory government to pass legislation to scrap the entrance test for admissions to professional colleges so that it would not be challenged in the court.

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