NEW DELHI: The Congress Working Committee reprimanded the Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh, in strong terms for suggesting that the Congress apologize on the Ayodhya Issue, and rejected his proposal out right.
However, talking to newsmen, Singh appeared to stick to his believe that the sense of ‘disquiet’ and ‘alienation’ among the minorities needed to be addressed, no matter what made was applied.
The sharpest attack came from Titendra Prasad, political secretary to the Congress president, K.Karunakaran, A.K.Antony, Bhajan Lal, Sitaram Kesri and Balram Jakhar. Sources Said that every member, barring Rao, took the Noor and castigated Arjun Singh.
The CWO sources noted that given the strong disapprove made, the Working Committee as good as pave Rao a free hand to act in any manner he saw fit. However, the spokesman later Said the matter now stood closed.
The Maharashtra Chief Minister, Sharad Pawar, extracted his pound of flesh saying that perhaps Pilot did not know that he himself had addressed two letters to the Prime Minister before Pilot made his suggestion to Rao. In these, he had said the CBI could be involved in the investigation. A majority of those present are believed to have been critical of Pilot with Jikhar playing the lead role.
Asked how he reacted to criticism by the CWC, Singh said, “Nothing. It was, after all, a party forum.” Asked for his comment on the CWC being constrained to record that no member of the body should rush to the press with anything that might embarrass the party, he merely said it was a “well established principle” that “policy matters should not be aired in public.
On the principal issue, however, he said “no matter what anyone might say,” way would have to be evolved by the party to address the sense of “disquiet’’ and “alienation” among the minorities after the Ayodhya incident, it would be fine if the party could evolve a better way (than his suggestion) of as staging the minority sentiment. “If my proposal has not been accepted, it is all right, 1 had only made a suggestion. But we will have to say to the minorities something that they will accept.”
In a separate hard hitting statement, the three key dissidents K Natwar Singh, Sheila Dikshitand K.N Singh said the apology question should not be reduced to a “gimmick, “It was a profound moral and political issue that was agitating the minds and troubling the hearts of all Congressmen. It would not be turned into a dissident versus loyalty question,
December 6,1992 cannot be swept under the carpet. Shifting the blame ‘on the BJP does not absolve us of our acts of omission and commission, they noted.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 11, 1993
