M A I N   N E W S

No question of me resigning, says PM
Rahul Gandhi to meet Manmohan today 
Cabinet to decide fate of controversial ordinance on lawmakers
Raj Chengappa on-board the pm’s special flight

October 1
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asserted that there was “no question” of his resigning over the outburst by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi denouncing the ordinance passed by the Union Cabinet recently giving immunity to sitting MPs and MLAs from immediate disqualification if convicted of criminal charges.

There is no question of resigning. I said I will put all these issues before my Cabinet colleagues. These are all matters which are discussed before the highest body, the core group of the Congress party. The Cabinet discussed the matter twice, not once. But it is always possible to change one’s mind and I will consult my colleagues.

In reply to a question by The Tribune on-board his special flight, hours before he arrived in Delhi tonight after his trip to the US, the Prime Minister also stated that he would consider withdrawing the ordinance after he discussed it with Rahul Gandhi, who had sought a meeting with him, and then with his cabinet colleagues. Manmohan Singh said he would then decide on the fate of the ordinance “depending on which way the wind blows”. It is learnt that the Prime Minister will meet Rahul Gandhi early tomorrow morning followed by a meeting with his cabinet.

President Pranab Mukherjee has so far not given assent to the ordinance which the Cabinet had passed on September 24, a day before the Prime Minister had left for the US, seeking answers to questions he has raised. Meanwhile, a political storm had broken out on September 27 when Manmohan was in the US, after Rahul Gandhi called the ordinance “nonsense” and demanded that it to be torn up and “thrown into the dustbin.”

Apart from the impropriety of making such remarks when Manmohan Singh was on an important tour abroad, Opposition parties, particularly the BJP, had stated that the tone and tenor of Gandhi’s statements had undermined the authority of the Prime Minister and had advised him to resign.

If he was upset by the controversy the Prime Minister didn’t show it. Instead, during his press interaction on-board Manmohan Singh exuded confidence answering questions on the subject with both equanimity and dignity.

In reply to the questions by The Tribune as to whether he was considering withdrawing the ordinance or would resign because Rahul Gandhi’s statements undermined his authority, the Prime Minister said, “When such issues are raised in a democracy and in a democratic polity, the right course to start with is to try and understand what is agitating the minds of concerned people. When I go back, I will discuss these matters with Rahul Gandhi who has asked for a meeting with me and I will also take my Cabinet colleagues into confidence.”

When pressed about whether he felt he needed to resign, Manmohan Singh stated, “There is no question of resigning. I said I will put all these issues before my Cabinet colleagues. These are all matters which are discussed before the highest body, the core group of the Congress party. The Cabinet discussed the matter twice, not once. But it is always possible to change one’s mind and I will consult my colleagues on all these issues. We will see which way the wind blows.”

Replying to questions by other media present as to whether he was upset over the outburst, Manmohan Singh stated, “I am not the master of what people will say. It has happened and when I go back I will try and find out the reasons why it had to be done that way - and how to handle it. I am used to ups and downs and I don’t get easily upset.”

Asked whether any single person, however high-up in the party he was, had the right to veto his cabinet's decisions, the Prime Minister said, “I don't feel it that way. Honestly, if there is an important view by any member of the Congress party, any member of my Cabinet, he is free to raise issues if it requires reconsideration of an issue. This is what democracy is all about. We are not an authoritarian structure in which one person will lay down the line all the way. My humble feeling is when a point of view is expressed we must sit together and understand what is agitating the mind of the person who has raised the issue and that’s what we will do.”