NEW DELHI: Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh asserted that the Congress was “fully determined under the leadership of P.V. Narasimha Rao to checkmate” the “nefarious gam of the Bharatiya Janata Party, politically and democratically.” Reacting sharply to the statement of BUP President Murli Member Joshi at the National Council meeting of the party currently i session at Ahmedabad, Singh said that it was obvious that “having run out of rhetoric of communal jargon and the fact of steady erosion in their popularity has rated the BJP.

Ina statement issued here, Singh said that the BJP was now “fumbling for a fulcrum which could help them to maintain a tenuous balance and perhaps give them another issue to mislead the people,”

Singh said he failed to under. Stand the BIP Presidents objector to Congress President P.V.Narasimha Raos remarks. the session of the party that the political parties participating in the democratic process “must present secular face and a secular choice to the electorate” Singh said that it was a simple proposition which had the sanction of the Constitution, the laws of the land and all healthy political conventions behind it” Referring to the Constitutional provisions, the Congress President had said that the parties which did not have faith in secularism had no right to Participate in the democratic process. The Human Resources Development Minister said that the reaction of Murti Manohar Joshi revealed “the real mind of the BIP that it has no other options to present before the people of this country except these buttressed by religious fan electoral support exception to the BIP President invoking the name of Mahatma Gandhi and said it was “typical of BIP total this way.

Having murdered Gandhi, his same is now being invoked for the benefit of those, who initiated the Process that led to the first political militant act in post independent India,” the Human Resources Development Minister added.

Replying to Joshis question “is it communal to be a Hindu in India, Singh said that the answer was simple “no.” It would not be communal to be a Hindu or a Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Parsi or the follower of any other religion in India.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 15, 1992