Monday, May 17, 1999

• Dissidents want CM replaced

4 ex-CMs among 40 Cong nominees
NEW DELHI, May 16 — Four former Chief Ministers Luizinho Faleiro, Partap Singh Rane, Ravi S. Naik and Churchill Alemao — are among the 40 Congress candidates for the Goa Assembly polls whose names were announced by the AICC here today.

Anwar: I’ll go if invited
NEW DELHI, May 16 — The CWC member, Mr Tariq Anwar, tonight said he would attend tomorrow's emergency meeting of the CWC if invited.

Mufti: ultras’ release for Rubaiya was wrong
NEW DELHI, May 16 —Ten years after his daughter was set free in exchange for the release of five militants in Kashmir, the then Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has admitted that the exchange was wrong.

Patel allocates portfolios

GANDHINAGAR, May 16 (PTI) — Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel today divested controversial Cabinet Minister Jaspal Singh of his Food and Civil Supplies Department while allocating portfolios to the new ministers of his Cabinet.

The Health and Family Welfare Minister, Mr Ashok Chandulal Bhatt, has been given the additional charge of Food and Civil Supplies Department while Mr Singh has been made Jail and Rural Housing Minister, an official release said.

The 14-month-old BJP ministry in Gujarat was expanded yesterday with the induction of 11 more members — nine Ministers of State and two Deputy Ministers.

Two Ministers of state in the present ministry, Anandiben Patel (Education) and Kaushik Patel (Energy), have been elevated to the rank of Cabinet Minister and Deputy Minister Harjivanbhai Patel has been promoted as Minister of State, the release said.

The Chief Minister retains the General Administration Department, Home, Information and Broadcasting and all other departments not allocated to other ministers.

With the induction of new faces, the strength of the BJP Ministry has gone up to 38, including 12 Cabinet Rank Ministers, 20 Ministers of State and six Deputy Ministers.

The Chief Minister also appointed 19 chairmen, five vice-chairmen and members and directors of government-run boards and corporations.

Dissidents want CM replaced

NEW DELHI, May 16 (UNI) — At least 60 BJP MLAs of Gujarat have appealed to the party leadership to change the Chief Minister to "improve the party’s image" in the state.

In a communication to BJP President Kushbau Thakre they narrated a number of reasons to justify their demand and even suggested a few names for the Chief Minister’s post.

According to the dissidents, the Chief Minister has lost control over bureaucracy and a family member of the Chief Minister is running the government.

They said in their memorandum that the state government had lost about Rs 200 crore in the import of onion and they also alleged corruption in the transaction of some government land in Baroda.

They alleged that the government had not taken any action in an RDX recovery case and a multi-crore petroleum adulteration case in Ahmedabad.

The dissidents complained that no action had been taken against officials who were found wanting during the Kandla cyclone and Surat floods.

The dissidents, included six Cabinet Ministers, two Ministers of State and three Deputy Ministers. According to them, the dissident activity has picked up momentum after the latest Cabinet reshuffle.

4 ex-CMs among 40 Cong nominees

NEW DELHI, May 16 (PTI) — Four former Chief Ministers Luizinho Faleiro, Partap Singh Rane, Ravi S. Naik and Churchill Alemao — are among the 40 Congress candidates for the Goa Assembly polls whose names were announced by the AICC here today.

The Congress is going it alone and contesting all 40 Assembly seats in Goa in the June 4 elections.

While Mr Faleiro is the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief, Mr Naik was an MP in the dissolved Lok Sabha.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Dayanand Narvekar, MP in the dissolved 12th Lok Sabha Francisco Sardinha, former MP Harish Zantye, former PCC chief Nirmala Sawant and Speaker of the dissolved assembly Tomazinho Cardozo are also among the Congress candidates.

Three sitting MLAs have been dropped. The list also includes four women.

Text of letter to Sonia Gandhi
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, May 16 — The following is the text of the letter written by Sharad Pawar, P.A. Sangma and Tariq Anwar to Cong President Sonia Gandhi:

Respected Congress President,

It is with a deep sense of responsibility, and an overwhelming sense of concern that we write to you. The founders and the leaders of the Congress like your eminent grandfather-in-law had always encouraged a tradition of free and uninhibited exchange of views amongst Congressmen. They have built the foundations of Indian democracy on the four pillars of liberty of opinion, freedom of expression, responsibility of action and above all nation before self. We believe we are being true to these ideals in placing our views before you.

Madam President, we belong to a generation which had the good fortune to have, as role models, people like Mahatma Gandhi, Pt Nehru, Maulana Azad, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi. It is under their tutelage that we learnt about the value of sacrifice, and the intensity of national pride. They taught us to be Indians first and Congressmen next. Your family has, more than once, made the supreme sacrifice to uphold these ideals.

After the demise of Rajivji the party felt orphaned. Like most orphans, its condition deteriorated. With the slow decline of the Congress, the forces of communalism, violence, and fundamentalism, which would divide and break the country, grew from strength to strength. As a result the country plunged from crisis to crisis. The last three years have seen more political, social and economic turbulence in this country than the previous 45. Right thinking people were leaving the Congress. The poor, the underprivileged, the minorities and the youth were disillusioned with the party.

It was at such a bleak time, madam, that some of us came to you. We have all watched with respect and admiration, the great dignity with which you and your children bore the series of blows that life dealt you.

We also sensed the genuine affection and care that you had for Congressmen and the Congress Party. At this critical juncture in the party’s life we came to you and requested you to take over the reins of the party. We felt that the real respect the Congress party had for your family would rejuvenate the organisation. And we are not wrong. Your presence in the party gave it a new life. The disintegration stopped. Congressmen started returning to the fold.

For the past months, we have observed the maturity and dignity you have brought to the high office of the Congress president. You have kept the fold together, consulted with senior colleagues and motivated the youth. Through all this ran a clear purpose that the party so cherished by your family did not perish. Such selflessness is not new to India, and this ability to put the party’s interest above yourself gave us the hope and strength.

With clarity of purpose you concentrated on the party without getting involved in the political battles fought on the ground and on the floor of Parliament. Despite tremendous pressure, you resisted the temptation to fight elections. Both at the AICC session in Delhi and at Pachmarhi, you very rightly reminded us that keeping the party strong and vibrant was as important as running a government. When the fractured outcome of the general elections was out, you and the party accepted the verdict of the people of India that the Congress party had not fully lived up to their expectations. Other political parties were given a chance to take this great country forward. At all times you intuitively understood and respected the often unstated wishes of the Indian people.

However, of late we have noticed what we hope is only a temporary aberration. We believe that this is the work of a few self-seeking individuals, we pray that you are able to disengage yourself from such minds.

Soniaji you have lived as a daughter-in-law to India for the past 30 years. You have, in your own way, absorbed much of this great country’s spirit. You are in the line of many non-Indians who have loved and adopted this country and worked for its benefit. The Congress party which you now lead was the brainchild of a Scotsman, Sir A.O. Hume. the seat you occupy has once adorned by Annie Besant. It is in this selfless tradition that we see your services to the party and the nation.

Madam President, India is a country with a history and tradition going back for 1000’s of years. It is a confident culture and a proud nation. Above all it is a country which is self sufficient in every sense of the word. India has always lived in the spirit of the Mahatma’s words. “Let the winds from all over sweep into my room” but again he said “ I will not be swept off my feet”. We accept with interest and humility the best which we can gather from the north, south, east or west and we absorb them into our soil.

But our inspiration, our soul, our honour, our pride, our dignity, is rooted in our soil. It has to be of this earth.

Soniaji you have became a part of us because you have all along respected this. We therefore, find it strange that you should allow yourself to forget it at this crucial juncture.

It is not possible that a country of 980 million, with a wealth of education, competence and ability, can have anyone other than an Indian, born of Indian soil, to head its government.

Some of us have tried to initiate and open broader discussions on this issue within the party. It is an issue which, affects not just the security, the economic interest and the international image of India, but hits at the core pride of every Indian. Unfortunately this initiative has been thwarted at every stage.

At the risk of repetition we would like to emphasise that as Congressmen, we look up to you as a leader who kept the party together and is a source of strength to all of us. We hope that you will continue in this role for many years. But, as a responsible political party, we also have to understand the genuine concern of the average Indian who may or may not be a Congressman. That Indian is concerned about the person who will guide the course of his destiny for at least five years.

India’s Prime Ministership is probably the single most difficult job in the world today. A country the size of a subcontinent, with a population of 980 million. A vibrant, vocal democracy, a struggling economy, fissiparous forces tearing the social fabric, insurgency and terrorism which cuts at national unity. No government anywhere in the world faces the type of complex problems and multidimensional issues that need attention in India. A person who is to take the reins of this country needs a large measure of experience and understanding of public life. That is why the founders of the party insisted that people who aspired for higher positions should first spend time working their way up. This way the party worker got acquainted with the complexity of issues in the country.

The average Indian is not unreasonable in demanding that his Prime Minister have some track record in public life. The Congress Party needs to respect this very justifiable expectation. We need to understand that during an election campaign, every Congress worker has to be able to be aggressive about his party’s line. Our workers cannot afford to be either defensive or apologetic. This will negatively affect the party’s performance.

We believe, Madam President, that even now it is not too late. Let this great party once again move forward in the direction of Rajivji’s dream — a strong resurgent India leading the world into the 21st century. Rajivji’s dream was shared by all of us. We look to you to lead the party to fulfil this dream.

We have discussed this matter today in the CWC at great length. We stand by the view we have expressed there. There can be no two opinions that this personalised campaign started by the BJP against you is reprehensible and needs to be opposed strongly. At the same time we would again state that the issue raised by us in today’s meeting is real as far as this country is concerned and cannot be wished away.

We believe that it is our responsibility as Congressmen and political leaders to formally place on record our view and request the CWC and you to consider the following suggestion which we feel would set at rest the controversy currently being debated across the country.

(1) The Congress manifesto should suggest an amendment to the Constitution of India, to the effect that the offices of the President, Vice President and Prime Minister can only be held by natural born Indian citizens.

We would also request that you, as Congress President, propose this amendment. This will be in line with your own consistent stand that your sole concern in entering public life was to revive and rejuvenate the party for which Panditji, Indiraji and Rajivji gave their all. Such a stand will not only further enhance your status but also give strength to the Congress party as it goes to the polls.

We urge you to consider the issues we have raised in the same spirit and seriousness with which we have raised them. We believe that in the larger interests of the party and the country you would accept the suggestion we have made.

With regards, Yours sincerely,

(P.A. Sangma) (Tariq Anwar) (Sharad Pawar)

Govt “soft-pedalled” Bofors probe

NEW DELHI, May 16 (PTI) — As the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) prepares to launch prosecution in the Bofors gun deal, a former CBI Director has accused the then Congress government of “deliberately soft-pedalling” the matter and approving the Swedish gun instead of the French Sofma which had already cleared five tests.

“The Bofors matter, prior to Mr V.P. Singh’s taking over as Prime Minister, had been deliberately soft-pedalled by the ruling Congress government for obvious reasons”, says Rajendra Shekhar in his new book ‘Not a license to kill, police needs a paradigm shift.’

“When the Opposition raised the mighty stink, the ruling Congress ‘persuaded’ the CBI to treat it as a case of Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) violation”, writes Shekhar also raising questions in the manner the French ‘Sofma’ gun was suddenly put out of reckoning in preference to Bofors.

“Bolstering the strong suspicion was the matter of choice of Bofors in preference to Sofma... All of a sudden the experts discovered an enabling facet in Bofors which tipped the scales in its favour.

“It was the lightness and mobility of the gun, contended the evaluators, that gave the quality of ‘shoot and scoot,” notes Shekhar.

The French gun, says Shekhar, was approved by “five evaluation tests” undertaken by Indian Army experts during 1982-85.

Referring to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s role, he observes “Rajiv’s meeting with Palme, Swedish Prime Minister, in October 1985, in Sweden intriguingly coincided with the sixth evaluation”.

Anwar: I’ll go if invited

NEW DELHI, May 16 (PTI) — The CWC member, Mr Tariq Anwar, tonight said he would attend tomorrow's emergency meeting of the CWC if invited.

"So far I have neither received any invitation nor any phone call to attend the CWC meeting tomorrow," he said.

An emergency meeting of the CWC has been called to discuss the letter written by Mr Anwar and two other CWC members to party president Sonia Gandhi opposing her candidature for prime ministership in view of her foreign origin.

CHENNAI: Senior Congress leader Sharad Pawar, who along with two other senior party leaders opposed the projection of Mrs Sonia Gandhi as prime ministerial candidate, has cancelled his visit to Chennai scheduled for Monday to hold talks with AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalitha.

"Mr Pawar is not coming to Chennai tomorrow," TNCC President T.K. Ramamurthee said tonight, adding he was likely to go to New Delhi tomorrow to attend the CWC meeting.

Mufti: ultras’ release for Rubaiya was wrong

NEW DELHI, May 16 (PTI) —Ten years after his daughter was set free in exchange for the release of five militants in Kashmir, the then Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has admitted that the exchange was wrong.

But, he says, it was the decision of the then Prime Minister Mr V.P. Singh to seek the release of Dr Rubaiya Sayeed in exchange for five hardcore militants in December 1989 in what many observers regard as a major boost to militancy in the Kashmir valley.

“As a father I was indeed anxious and upset. Dr Farooq Abdullah who was the Chief Minister, had no clue, it was, finally, the Prime Minister’s decision to seek her release in exchange for militants. I had no role in the decision,” says the Congress leader in a just-released book ‘Trauma of Kashmir’ by Mr Omkar Razdan, a retired senior officer of the ministry of defence.

The book, a narration of conversations, interviews and interactions the author had with people during his travels in Kashmir, was released last week by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman M.N. Venkatachalaiah, a former Chief Justice of India.

Asked if in retrospect he considered the principle of exchange was right, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed replies, “no, I think it was wrong”.

Former Union Minister of State for Home Rajesh Pilot, retired diplomats Syed Shahabuddin and A.R. Deo and others spoke on the situation in Kashmir at the function marking the release of the book which contains interviews with Hurriyat Conference leaders, former state Governor Dr Karan Singh and others.

Ex-PM in demand for book releases
NEW DELHI: “I have become a professional book releaser” says former Primer Minister I.K. Gujral. Mr Gujral, who is in great demand in the capital’s intellectual circles for his erudition and understanding of issues ranging from pollution to politics, was speaking at a function here Saturday evening to release a book by noted scholar Bhabani Sen Gupta. And as a professional “book releaser”, Mr Gujral said he did not read before it is released or speaks about it at release functions. — PTI

Drug addicts kept in iron chains
IMPHAL: Nearly 60 drug addicts, including five women, are being kept at a de-addiction centre in Manipur’s Churachandpur district with iron chains around their feet. Mr Khaidem Mani Singh, an advocate and human rights activist, made this horrifying disclosure before reporters here on Saturday. A working group led by him had visited the centre and found the addicts shackled and placed in cages like animals. This constituted a violation of individual human rights and fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution, the advocate said. — UNI

Roads laid by BRO “inferior”
NEW DELHI: Roads constructed by the Border Roads Organisation have been found to be sub-standard in many states, according to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport and Tourism. Stating that security aspect should not be cited as a cause for poor construction of roads, the committee suggested appointment of an independent team of experts to visit some of these areas and submit a report outlining steps to improve the quality of border roads. — UNI

India 3rd among most corrupt
CALCUTTA: Singapore is the least corrupt among 11 Asian countries, excluding Pakistan and Bangladesh, according to the Asia Competitiveness Report 1999 published by World Economic Forum (WEF). The most corrupt among the selected countries was Indonesia followed by Philippines and India, the study published recently said. The corruption ratings for the countries on an one-to-10 scale were Singapore 1.84, Hong Kong 2.31, Japan 2.5, Taiwan 3.43, Malaysia 5.01, South Korea 5.5, Thailand 6.13 and China 6.73. The ratings for three most corrupt nations out of 11 were Indonesia 8.4, Philippines 7.98 and India 7.32. — PTI