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