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NDA confident of winning LS debate

After a 20-minute meeting of the NDA co-ordination committee, which was headed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, NDA convenor and Defence Minister George Fernandes said that the alliance was confident of defeating the opposition-sponsored motion on Tuesday.

He said several NDA partners had already issued three-line whips asking their members to vote against the motion.

JD-U leader Sharad Yadav conveyed to the meeting that a whip was being issued to his party members and it was only a "formality", Fernandes said.

With regard to the National Conference, he said party representative Sharifuddin Shariq did not say anything on the stand being adopted by his party.

Fernandes sought to downplay the resignation of Union Coal Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and severing of ties with the NDA by the Lok Jan Shakti. "NDA is very strong. NDA is united," he said.

Asked whether attempts would be made to persuade Paswan to return to the NDA, he said, "Since I am always a persuader, I will be doing my job."

Brushing aside suggestions that some of the allies could cross-vote on Tuesday, he said, "I cannot speculate on other people's minds."

When asked what stand the TDP would take, he said he was confident that the party would not do anything to "hurt" the government.

Fernandes said he was in constant touch with TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and would also be speaking to him on Tuesday evening.

Railway Minister and Samata Party leader Nitish Kumar did not attach much importance to Paswan's resignation saying it had come two months after the violence in Gujarat started.

Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee said she had given a copy of the resolution adopted by her party's parliamentary group supporting the government. She, however, reiterated the demand for the removal of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

"We don't want to destabilise the government. We only want Modi should not remain chief minister," she said.

Fernandes said another ally, the Pattali Makkal Katchi, had passed a resolution supporting the government and a copy of it was given by its representative K Ponnuswamy.

PTI

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