NEW DELHI: Bowing to tremendous pressure from a united Opposition, the govt on Friday withdrew the Rs.100-crore grant to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

The Finance Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, read a statement in the Lok Sabha quoting a letter from Sonia Gandhi, the chairperson of the foundation, in which she suggested that “the best way to perpetuate the memory of Rajiv Gandhi was to identify Suitable projects and programs and fund them directly.” The letter was said to have been received on July 31,

The Finance Minister said that the govt had accepted the view expressed by the foundation, Accordingly, the sum of Rs.100-crore Proposed in the budget would not be donated to the foundation,

However, the govt will identify suitable projects and programs which will be named after Rajiv Gandhi and the govt will spend what is necessary to implement them he said.

The letter was received by the govt on July 31, Dr.Singh informed the House. The foundation had thanked the govt for its intention to donate the generous sum of Rs.100 crore over five years.

There was a immediate uproar in the House, which is normally silent on Friday afternoons. With the Opposition members protesting angrily that the House could not be taken so lightly. Senior Janata Dal leader Chandrajit Yadav was on his feet as soon as Dr.Singh finished reading his Statement. “It is as if the foundation is the master of the country, A letter comes and the Finance Minister makes this statement, This is not the way to deal with Parliament which is the master of running the finances of the country. Will the Finance Minister make an announcement in the same way on fertilizer subsidies? Over which the whole Opposition walked out? Will he respect the views of the Opposition?

Competing with Yadav for the attention of the House were Mohan Singh and Devendra Yadav JD), Ram Naik and Madan Lal Khurana (BJP), Ram Naik protested that the members had not been given prior information that a statement has to be laid on the table of the House.

Colonel Ram Singh, who was in the Chair, had to get to his feet several times to quell the tumult in the House. He told MPs that the govt had taken this decision keeping in mind the views and sentiments expressed in the House Over the past two days.

When the shouting continued, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad rose to his feet and said that it to him that the protests were politically motivated.

Article extracted from this publication >> August 9, 1991