ELECTION 99
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Congress will back insurance bill after all

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

Political constraints today forced the Congress to extend selective co-operation to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in the passage of crucial bills in Parliament even as it declared war on the ruling coalition to have Rajiv Gandhi's name deleted from the Bofors chargesheet.

While party spokesman Ajit Jogi hemmed and hawed on the issue of supporting the National Democratic Alliance on important legislative business like the Insurance Regulatory Authority Bill and the Foreign Exchange Management Bill, his colleague Major Ved Prakash said "bills for the good of the poor and the common man will be passed". He said this was inevitable "because we never back away from our commitment". What the major did not mention was that the Congress in its manifesto had already declared itself in favour of bills like the IRA, FEMA and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Bill.

Jogi said the party high command would hear the views of members of the Congress Party in Parliament tomorrow morning before deciding on the crucial IRA Bill.

Sensing that the Congress would after all support the IRA and other crucial economic bills, the BJP today exhorted it to "honour its commitment to support crucial legislation". BJP spokesman M Venkaiah Naidu, referring to tomorrow's CPP meeting, said, "We hope the Congress co-operates in the passage of several bills which will affect the second phase of our economic reforms." He said these issues should not be approached with a partisan view because they affect even the nation's international commitments.

Naidu was critical of the Congress for trying to link the Bofors issue with the passage of the economic bills. He argued that while Bofors entailed moral and ethical questions, the economic bills are for the country's benefit and "should not be linked".

Defending the government's resolve not to delete the late prime minister's name from the chargesheet, Naidu pointed out that the attorney-general had given an opinion that the Supreme Court had already ruled that deletion of Gandhi's name would be tantamount to interference in the due process of law. "We want to set the record straight because the Congress is trying to mislead people on this issue," he said.

The general secretary then shifted gear and attacked the Congress. "The Congress is creating an unnecessary controversy outside Parliament", but it will have no effect on the people who know the reality, he said. An atmosphere of confrontation will benefit none, he cautioned.

The Congress, however, appeared determined to have its late president's name deleted from the chargesheet. A rally today led by senior politicians like Madhavrao Scindia, Ahmed Patel, P Shiv Shankar, Sheila Dixit, Digvijay Singh, Mohsina Kidwai, Girija Vyas and Hanumanthappa lashed out at the government for not withdrawing the name from the chargesheet. Congress members of the Rajya Sabha staged a walkout on the same matter.

Jogi stressed that his party would fight the government's "political vendetta". He told a questioner that despite the attorney-general's views, "the legal position is very clear since the prosecution has been launched on behalf of the State and the State has the power to withdraw the name of an accused".

He contended that the government had already said that a case could not be made against the former prime minister since he is dead. "Then what is the point of including his name in the chargesheet," he asked. He said this just proved the government's mala fide intentions.

Jogi said his party differs from the government on the use of the words, "removal" and "withdrawal". He said the Congress would not bargain on the issue of withdrawing Gandhi's name from the chargesheet.

Jogi also announced that all members of the Congress Working Committee would meet President K R Narayanan and submit a memorandum requesting that Gandhi's name be withdrawn.

Tell us what you think of this report