Jaya meets Sonia at tea party
Calls it "political quake"
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, March 29 — The BJP-led coalition government’s proverbial ‘nine lives’ came under threat after the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, spent eight minutes with the AIADMK General Secretary, Ms J Jayalalitha at the much-publicised tea party hosted by Janata Party MP, Subramanian Swamy.

While the Congress President refused to entertain political questions at the "social function", Ms Jayalalitha described the event as a "political earthquake".

"What happened yesterday night was a natural earthquake and today’s it is political earthquake" Ms Jayalalitha said in reply to a question from media if the coming together of several politicians of different parties signalled realignment of forces in the country.

She said the political situation in the country was fluid and nothing could be said with certainty. To another question whether the current coalition would complete its term of five-years, Ms Jayalalitha quipped she was not an astrologer to predict.

However, she refused to elaborate what made her label the evening as a "political earthquake" stating: "If I elaborate it loses its charm."

Apart from the Congress President who was the focus of the party, the evening at the Cocktail Lounge of the state-run Ashoka Hotel saw three former Prime Ministers, Mr P V Narasimha Rao, Mr Chandra Shekhar, Mr H D Deve Gowda, the INLD leaders Mr Devi Lal and his son Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Congress Working Committee members, Mr Madhav Rao Scindia, Mr Jitendra Prasada, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, Dr Manmohan Singh and Mr Sushil Kumar Shinde, the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee Chief, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former Union Ministers, Mr Buta Singh and Mr Kalpnath Rai, Mr Kishan Singh Sangwan of the INLD, Mr Omar Abdullah of the National Conference making an appearance among others.

There was a fair sprinkling of members of the diplomatic corps including the Pakistan High Commissioner, Mr Ashraf Jahangir Qazi.

While Mrs Sonia Gandhi including the host, Dr Swamy continued to describe the gathering as a social event, the political significance of the tea party was not lost when the Congress President arrived.

Though Dr Swamy had said the tea party which he hosted in honour of the AIADMK leader was to facilitate her meeting with non-BJP political leaders, the presence of Minister of State for Sports, Uma Bharati was surprising.

On her part, the Congress President said her meeting with the AIADMK General Secretary was "continuation of old friendship", the latter said "wait and see" as to in which direction the current development moves.

Ms Jayalalitha reiterated her demand for shifting of the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, and said the only way the Bhagwat controversy could be put to an end was by re-instating the dismissed Naval Chief.

Submits Cabinet expansion list to PM
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, March 29 — With AIADMK chief J. Jayalalitha submitting her party’s nominees for inclusion in the Union Cabinet to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee during an hour-long luncheon meeting, the BJP-led coalition government appears to be on a steady path for the time being.

Even though Ms Jayalalitha chose to air her stand on the shifting of the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, to a "less sensitive" portfolio, she has also agreed to meet the latter. Sources said Mr Fernandes would be meeting her at the hotel, where she was staying, with relevant "material" to explain the circumstances in which the former Naval Chief, Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat had to be sacked.

While on her part, the AIADMK chief allayed fears that the Congress might pull down the government saying that as of now her party "is very much a part of the government", the Prime Minister had also assured to meet her list of demands including a constitutional amendment for the protection of reservation beyond 50 per cent in states where it already existed and the passage of Women Reservation Bill during the Budget session itself.

Mr Vajpayee also agreed to set up a committee immediately to examine the feasibility for inclusion of all regional languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

Another assurance from the Prime Minister was to make a specific budget allocation for the Sethusamundram project. "I wanted an early date for its inauguration" by Mr Vajpayee to which he agreed, Ms Jayalalitha said after her meeting with the Prime Minister at his official residence.

The AIADMK leader, who normally does not talk to the media, responded to reporters’ queries outside the Prime Minister’s residence, stopping to state that the meeting was "useful, satisfactory and cordial".

When asked whether she reiterated her stand on the Bhagwat issue to the Prime Minister today, Ms Jayalalitha said "my opinion still stands" but there was no need to repeat it to Mr Vajpayee.

Stating that she had not sought Mr Fernandes’ removal, the AIADMK chief said: "I had only suggested in the coordination committee that his (Mr Fernandes’) action could be a major embarrassment to the government and he be shifted to a less sensitive Ministry in the national interest".

She said the allegations had been made not only about "massive financial irregularities running into thousands of crores, but also certain actions (of Mr Fernandes) which posed a threat to the national security".

"I still maintain my stand that it will be in the overall interest of this government and of the nation to shift Mr Fernandes out of the Defence Ministry", she said adding that "this is an important issue involving the morale of the Armed Forces and also concerns the nation’s security".

Ruling out a one-to-one meeting with the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, the AIADMK supremo said her party’s support to the BJP-led coalition government would continue.

On the tea party being hosted by the Janata Party president, Dr Subramaniam Swamy, and whether she would be meeting Ms Sonia Gandhi at the gathering, she said: "It is a social occasion and whosoever attends it I would be meeting them including Ms Sonia Gandhi. But there is no separate one-to-one meeting with her".

To a question whether the Congress leader’s statements posed a threat to the BJP-led government, the AIADMK chief said unless the allies decided to withdraw support, there would be no threat to the government.

Ms Jayalalitha said as of now there was no alliance with the Congress and her party was very much part of the government.

On the Union Cabinet expansion, the AIADMK leader said: "I have given my proposal and hope the Prime Minister will make an announcement soon".

Asked specifically whether she had sought removal of the Petroleum Minister, Mr V. Ramamurthy of the Tamil Rajiv Congress, who had been at loggerheads with the AIADMK leader, Ms Jayalalitha said: "I have not asked for anyone's removal".

The AIADMK which initially had four ministers in the Cabinet was now left with only two — Mr Thambi Durai and Mr K. Janarthanan — after the resignation of Mr S.R. Muthiah and Mr R.K. Kumar on different grounds.

As Ms Jayalalitha’s stay in the capital comes to an end tomorrow, observers said through her pronouncements, statements and actions she had ensured her continuing political relevance and position in the national politics. She could use her option any time when an alternative government to replace the present Vajpayee government was ensured.

She had kept her options wide open and now much would depend upon Mr Vajpayee’s handling of Ms Jayalalitha and other allies leaders and their demands. An expansion of the Council of Ministers by Mr Vajpayee, which he had been keeping in abeyance for almost a year now, would remain a thorny issue and would involve a tight rope walk with clever manoeuvring, the sources said

Meets Fernandes

NEW DELHI, March 29 (PTI) — In a bid to mollify AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha, Defence Minister George Fernandes met her today in her hotel to apparently brief her on the events leading to the sacking of Navy Chief Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat.

The 90-minute meeting between the two came in the wake of her stepping up pressure on the Prime Minister for shifting him from the Defence Ministry to a "less sensitive" portfolio in the "interest" of the government and the nation.

"Of course, the talks were cordial," Mr Fernandes told waiting reporters after the meeting but refused to divulge details.

To persistent questions whether the Vishnu Bhagwat issue figured at the talks, the Defence Minister said the matter was not discussed at all.

The aiadmk leader’s demand for shifting him from the key ministry too was not taken up at the meeting. "We just had a good chat....I have nothing else to say," he said.

Mr Fernandes denied that he had carried any official secret documents to discuss the Bhagwat issue with her.

On the demand for changing his portfolio, the Defence Minister said, "Such matters are decided by the Prime Minister."