'It was not easy for the Congress to take a decision like this...'
The text of the letter Congress president Sitaram Kesri sent President K R Narayanan, informing him of the party's decision to withdraw support to the United Front government:
Dear Rashtrapatiji,
The Congress Working Committee, at its meeting held on November 28, 1997, unanimously decided to withdraw support from the UF government headed by Prime Minister Shri I K Gujral with immediate effect.
The Congress Working Committee, at its meeting held on 20th November, 1997, had approved a unanimous resolution passed by the Congress Parliamentary Party executive committee (meeting) held on the same day in the morning where it was demanded that the party should withdraw support from the UF government if the ministers belonging to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party were not excluded from the UF government.
The report of the Jain Commission which was set up to enquire into the circumstances leading to the assassination of late prime minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi was placed on the table(s) of both Houses of Parliament on 20th November, 1997. (The) DMK party has been indicted as (a) supporter of the LTTE (the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) organisation, members of which were responsible for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.
(The) report has exhaustively dealt with the role of a section of the DMK party, particularly its leadership and the Tamil Nadu government led by Shri Karunanidhi, in aiding and abetting the LTTE organisation, particularly after this militant organisation took (a) hostile attitude towards India and (the) IPKF (the Indian Peace Keeping Force) after the signing of (the) Indo-Sri Lankan agreement in 1987.
In view of the observation in the Jain Commission report, (the) Congress party requested the UF government to drop the DMK ministers from the Union Cabinet so that (the) Congress can continue its support to the UF government. I wrote two letters to the Prime Minister, Shri I K Gujral, requesting him to consider the request of the Congress party and act accordingly.
Unfortunately, on both the occasions Prime Minister Shri I K Gujral turned down our request. We made it very clear in our letters that it would not be possible for the Congress party to continue support to the UF government in view of the gravity of the situation and (the) sensitivity of the issue.
(The) Congress Working Committee at its meeting held on 12th May, 1996, extended its support to the 13 parties-coalition known as (the) United Front in its effort to form (a) government at the Centre.
the) Congress party in their respective states, and they fought a bitter electoral battle immediately before the formation of (the) UF government at (the) Centre. But (the) Congress party kept aside narrow partisan consideration because its commitment to secular polity is total and unconditional.
Since its inception the Congress party has given ample proof that secularism, national interests and (the) interests of the people of India (have) over-riding priority in its agenda.
Perhaps you will agree that it is this commitment that brought this UF government into existence in June, 1996 and the party has continued to sustain it so far in spite of so many detracting factors. I can assure you (that the) Congress party will never compromise on its commitment to strengthening national integration and upholding the cause of (the) Indian nation.
I would like to emphasise that we do not consider the entire Tamil population as responsible for strengthening (the) LTTE outfit in Tamil Nadu. It is only a section of (the) DMK party and its top leadership which indulged in aiding and abetting (the) anti-national and terrorist activities of (the) LTTE, particularly after (the) Indo-Sri Lanka agreement in 1987.
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Congress withdraws support to UF govt; PM resign
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