NEW DELHI: Rajiv Gandhi has said holding of elections in Punjab had “grave implications” for the territorial integrity of the country.

Gandhi said his party would review the decision if it was voted to power.

Describing as “irresponsible” the Shekhar government’s decision to hold elections on June 22 Gandhi told a group of journalist’s heret that this would only benefit militants

The Congress-I leader said if his party came to power it would immediately take a decision.

Gandhi asserted that the Congress-I was not afraid of elections in the state but the issue involved the integrity of India and a genuine democratic process in Punjab. At present the government was not in control of law and order and free and fair poll was not possible he said.

Gandhi said the militants regarded elections as a “referendum on separatism” and wanted to exploit the election process to meet their objectives. “Why give legitimacy to them?” he asked.

Underlining the “dangers” of holding elections in Punjab he said that in a “worse case scenario” separatists could secure a majority in the Punjab assembly and then declare that the state wanted to separate from the Indian union as some Soviet republics had done.

In the event of a hung parliament he said there may not be a “real government” at the center to deal with such a situation immediately. The army could be sent in but before that the separatist government in Punjab might have been recognised by Pakistan and all this could pose a serious challenge to the nation’s territorial integrity Gandhi added.

Asked if elections in Punjab could be put off although the election process had already started the Congress-I president said this would have to be examined but it should be possible for the new government to do so.

“I don’t know Gandhi said when what prompted Shekhar to decide on elections in Punjab asked.

Asked if he had not made any guess in this regard Gandhi replied” I have but I don’t want to share that with you.”

When asked if a decision had been taken under pressure from the U.S Gandhi said” ‘I don’t know under whose pressure.”

Answering questions on efforts made earlier for a joint strategy by his party CPI CPM and BJP to field common candidates in Punjab Gandhi said the decision to hold elections in the state on June 22 was announced on April 24 when he had gone to Amethi to file his nomination and other senior party leaders like Narasimha Rao and Buta Singh were also not in Delhi.

The Congress-I therefore could not take any immediate decision while others decided to participate in the Punjab elections he said.

The BJP and the Left parties he said were not going to come to power at the centre and therefore the Punjab situation would not be a problem for them. But they were only creating problems for the next government Gandhi added.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 3, 1991