NEW DELHI: Arjun Singh appears to be isolated on the Ayodhya issue as all Cabinet ministers except Sharad Pawar and all Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs, barring Digvilay Singh and K.Ramammurthy, ave expressed their solidarity n writing to Prime Minister V Narasimha Rao on the issue.
The isolation of Singh on the contentious dispute has led the party leaders to focus their attention on former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister N.D. Tiwari, who after a long lull, proposes to resume political activity.
Party sources said that senior Ministers, PCC chiefs and Congress Legislature Party leaders have all written letters either to the Congress President or his Political Secretary Jitendra Prasada praising the efforts being made by Rao to find an amicable settlement to the contentious Ayodhya dispute.
Madhya Pradesh PCC President Digvijay Singh, a protege of Singh, however, has held himself back from what is being increasingly described as the “loyalty pledge.” No leader has yet come forward clearly in support of the Human Resources Development Minister’s contention that a meeting of senior leaders from the slates run by Opposition, particularly from north India, be summoned to chalk out an effective strategy to counter the influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Virtually charging the leadership with no having a clear stand against the BJP on the Ayodhya dispute, Singh in his letter, had attacked them for adopting a soft approach towards the BJP and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Party sources said that Sharad Pawar had initially turned down he request of certain leaders, close to the Prime Minister, to write a letter expressing solidarity with the leadership, though other Cabinet Ministers, PCC chiefs and Congress Legislature Party leaders had acceded to the request.
However, Pawar changed his stance later and congratulated the Prime Minister at a public meeting in Pune for his handling of the Ayodhya issue. He also urged the people to extend “unqualified support” to Rao.
Tamil Nadu Pradesh Congress Committee President K. Ramamurthy, who had resigned from the Council of Ministers in the wake of the Cauvery Water Dispute last year, however, had neither praised Rao nor supported Singh in his letter.
Now it appears that the letter episode has been seized by the supporters of Rao to cut down Singh, who has emerged as number two following his election to the Working Committee at the Tirupati session.
That the leadership does not attach any importance to Singh’s letter because obvious with Jitendra Prasada stating in his one line reply that it would be discussed at the next CWC meeting. So far, no date has been fixed, The spokespersons had gone on record saying that the letter could be an “input” for the Pachmarhi convention of senior leaders of the party.
After realizing that Singh has been isolated on the issue, his supporters are reported to have become defensive.
Article extracted from this publication >> Aug 28, 1992
