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PM restrains partymen, allies from attacking President

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today cautioned party colleagues against jumping to conclusions about the way in which President K R Narayanan is dealing with the current political crisis.

Intervening in a discussion at a joint meeting of members of Parliament belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies, he advised them to "wait and not have any suspicion about the President".

The members expressed concern at the "abnormal delay" by the President in taking a decision on an alternative arrangement, saying it was not good for the country, party spokesman M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters.

He said a three-member delegation led by External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, which called on the President, told him that the country was plunged into political uncertainty in the past 10 days, and this should end at the earliest.

The delegation expressed concern that seven days after the conclusion of the debate on the confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, the President had given more time to Congress president Sonia Gandhi to try and forge an alternative government.

The President told the delegation that the Congress list fell short of the required strength, hence he gave the party more time.

The delegation included Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam politician Murasoli Maran and Vaiko of the Marumalarchi DMK.

The delegation pointed out that the Left parties, which were trying to form a government, do not even have quorum strength in the House.

It expressed "unhappiness" over the phraseology used in the communique issued by Rashtrapati Bhawan last night. The communique was different from what Congress president Sonia Gandhi had told reporters after meeting the President, it said.

UNI

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