1 May 2002
VAJPAYEE GOVERNMENT STANDS BY
NARENDRA MODI
From Jal Khambata
NEW
DELHI: The Government on Wednesday firmly ruled out removal of
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on account of the communal
carnage, even as both Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Home
Minister Lal Krishna Advani joining others in the Lok Sabha in
condemning the incidents.
Vajpayee, responding to 16 hours of
debate that had begun on Tuesday at noon on an opposition-sponsored
motion, wanted a unanimous condemnation of the violence saying it has
put at stake India's "samman and astitva" (respect and
existence) and Opposition leader Sonia Gandhi instantly responded
saying "let us have a unanimous resolution now."
He
also announced a Rs 150-crore rehabilitation package for the victims,
pointing out that taking their care was "primarily a national
task." Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, however, asserted
that all this relief was useless as "with your nominee (Modi) in
power, refugees will not go back even if you build golden
houses."
Advani affirmed that removal of Modi would
neither end the violence nor solve the problem of the "barbaric"
events that engulfed Gujarat. He also asserted that there may be
laxity or weaknesses in the official dealing of the situation but
there was definitely no "deliberate state-engineered genocide"
as accused by the Opposition during the debate.
Thouse the
motion was billed to be debated at the most up to 6 in the evening,
the House could finish it off only by 4.30 in the morning, holding
continuous debate, at times acrimonious, without a break for either
lunch or dinner. Sonia Gandhi and other Gujarat Congress MPs hardly
had time to freshen up and rush to the airport to catch flight for a
Porbandar meeting and a peace rally in Ahmedabad on May 1.
Despite
Vajpayee's appeal and Sonia's instant agreement, the House remained
sharply divided as the motion of Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh
Yadav had to be ultimately put to vote and defeated as 276 votes
against it and 182 in favour while eight members, including four
belonging to Dr Farooq Abdullah's National Conference,
abstained.
Neither the Government side tried to quickly move
any motion that can be adopted unanimously nor did Sonia Gandhi
succeed in getting a draft readied in consultations with her senior
colleagues, but Vajpayee's posture resulted in neither the Congress
nor the CPI(M) pressing for amendments that demanded dismissal of
Modi and imposition of the President's rule under Article
356.
Earlier on Tuesday, Minister of State Omar Abdullah had
tendered resignation since his party was not voting with the
Government but Vajpayee refused to accept it by putting it on the
hold. Telugu Desam Party staged a walk-out just before the voting as
its leader Yerran Naidu pointed out that it cannot support the
government which has turned down its demand for dismissal of the Modi
government.
There was slight difference of perceptions between
Vajpayee and Advani in responding to the Opposition's tirade.
Vajpayee said he had spoken to a women's delegation that interacted
with the victim women and hence he can say that there was some truth
in the allegations of rapes, etc. but not the way these were blown
out of proportions. (Thoda sach to tha par use badha chadha kar pesh
kiya jaa raha hai.)
Advani, however, played up his fad of
accusing Pakistan and talked of cross-border terrorism. He said the
happiest from the violence today was Pakistan and that should be a
matter of concern. He, however, expressed happiness that all
condemned both Godhra incidents and the violence that hit Gujarat
thereafter.
"Even revenge against the wrong-doers is not
justified in the civilized society," Advani said, pointing out
that what had happened in Godhra and rest of Gujarat were "barbaric"
incidents.
The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to
squarely blame the Media for blowing out of proportions the incidents
of communal violence in Gujarat, suggesting it to have a self-imposed
code of conduct.
He said the role of the Media during the
violence needs critical examination and wondered what was the
justification in electronic media showing some burnt bodies again and
again except to incite the people.
He said the Media can
certainly be of great help during such communal incidents and as such
he would like those running the Media to examine what kind of code of
ethics can be evolved by them. He pointed out how in the past the
Media will neither give names of the victims nor reveal their
religion or caste during the communal incidents.
Home Minister
Advani also joined him in pointing out the "wide gap" in
the coverage of these incidents by the newspapers from Gujarat and
those from outside. END