NEW DELHI: Former deputy prime minister Devi Lal on Thursday alleged that there was a “deep rooted conspiracy” to remove him from the Janata Dal, but said that he did not want to weaken the government and the party.
Addressing a massive farmers, rally at the Boat Club lawns here, Devi Lal said his removal from the federal cabinet was a result of a conspiracy by “certain elements” who now want him out of the party as well.
Devi said he was undaunted and would work for the farmers. “I am ready to face any number of hardships for furthering their (the farmers) cause,” he said.
Devi was sacked on August 1 from the cabinet by Singh in the midst of a raging controversy triggered off when the deputy sent Singh a forged letter supposedly written by Singh to the President in 1987 implicating his cabinet colleague commerce minister Arun Nehru in the Bofors deal.
The rally, sponsored by Delhi Dehat Sangharsh Samiti, will discuss ways and means to end economic disparities between urban rich and rural poor and take stock of the political situation arising out of the droppings of Devi Lal, Organisers said.
The rally, dubbed here as a show of strength of the former deputy prime minister had among the invitees former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and is seen by political circles as having scotched chance of a rapprochement between premier VP Singh and Devi Singh was also invited but was not cleared by his party chief S.R Bommai
Article extracted from this publication >> August 17, 1990
