COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Congress urges President to restrain government

The Congress has urged President K R Narayanan to direct the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government not to take major policy decisions aimed at brightening the poll prospects of the ruling coalition.

Expressing the hope that the President 'will remedy the situation,' a memorandum submitted to him said any act of the government which directly or indirectly bolstered the electoral prospects of the constituent parties of the coalition ''will cause incalculable harm not only to the cause of democracy but also to the principles of fair play and justice.'' A delegation of Congress leaders comprising Sharad Pawar, Manmohan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee called on the President and submitted the memorandum yesterday.

Taking serious exception to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led regime declaring itself to be a regular government, the memorandum said any government which merely awaited the constitution of the new Lok Sabha is not entitled ''to take any policy decisions''.

Asked about the BJP's explanation that there was no reference to a caretaker government in the Constitution, Pranab Mukherjee told reporters that ''conventions, practice and precedents'' added up to constitutional practice. The President can ask the government to act as per the norms and conventions, he said.

Mukherjee also took a serious view of the transfers involving 11 top officials. When pointed out that the Bihar government had also carried out a similar administrative reshuffle, Pawar said the two cannot be compared. The Bihar government had not lost its majority in the assembly, he explained.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report