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CWC calls for Manohar Joshi's resignation

The Congress has demanded the resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi forthwith following the indictment by the Srikrishna Commission which probed the 1992-93 Bombay riots.

The Congress Working Committee, which met in New Delhi on Friday, decided to depute a delegation of party leaders to meet Prime Minister A B Vajpayee to direct Joshi to step down.

Briefing the media after the CWC meeting, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sharad Pawar said the prime minister has a responsibility in the matter since the Maharashtra government is jointly run by the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The CWC took strong exception to Joshi's public pronouncement that his government was rejecting the Srikrishna Commission report because it favoured one community over another.

Describing it as highly deplorable and unfortunate, the CWC said, ''It is for the first time in our country that any government is taking a political decision on the basis of religious denomination in discharging its responsibility.''

It said the party cannot accept this proposition. The CWC was obviously reacting to Joshi's statement that his government was not accepting the report as it was anti-Hindu and pro-Muslim.

The CWC, in its statement, said in a commendable and restrained manner, Justice Srikrishna had dealt with a highly sensitive matter and given clear findings fixing responsibilities for acts of commissions and omissions of different people. The Shiv Sena-BJP government is clearly identified in this respect, it said.

The CWC therefore demanded that the Maharashtra chief minister resign as a first step. Action should be taken expeditiously against all those persons indicted by the Commission.

Refuting the Shiv Sena's contention that he was also indicted by the Commission, Pawar read out excerpts from the report to prove he was never named by the Commission. Pawar said the Sena-BJP government attempted to implicate him in its action taken report. This, he said, was deplorable and mean.

Pawar contended that the Commission has not said anything against him or former state chief minister Sudhakar Naik. The committee also did not discuss the conduct of Naik during the riots.

The CWC appealed to the people in general and Bombay in particular to exercise utmost restraint so that mischievous elements do not get any opportunity to create communal tension and discord. Peace, tranquillity and communal harmony have to be maintained at all costs, it said.

UNI

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