NEW DELHI: President Venkataraman has come in for severe criticism from Mr Madhu Limaye. The veteran Socialist leader and constitutional expert has accused the President of tilting towards the BJP whose support you wish to enlist for the dark and ambitious projects you are entertaining

Expressing his distress over the President’s proposals on putting off the current elections setting up a national government establishing a nominated constituent assembly and making without elections and without an elected Parliament. Mr Limaye said he hoped that in the difficult times ahead Mr Venkataraman would act as constitutional President leaving formation of government including negotiating combinations and coalitions to parliamentary parties.

The correspondence that has taken place between Mr Limaye and Mr Venkataraman clearly indicates that the former has taken strong exception to the President refusing to unveil the portrait of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia (in the Central Hall of Parliament) and enthusiastically agreeing to unveil the portrait of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.

Saying he did not wish to make any comparison between the two leaders and stating that he had nothing against Dr Mukherjee Mr Limaye reminds the President that he too was a freedom fighter and a member of the Congress Socialist Party. Whatever be your personal opinion of Lohia and howsoever intensely you disliked him you should have controlled your dislike or allergy and unveiled his portrait. You cannot wish out of existence the great services of Lohia in the cause of freedom. But you refused this cannot but be attributed to your bias against Lohia Mr Limaye wrote.

 PRESS REPORTS: Further your attitude is bound to be interpreted as being influenced by newspaper reports about the rising electoral tide of the BJP whose support you wish to enlist for the dark and ambitious projects you are entertaining. Allow me to say that you have fallen in my esteem I did not expect this pettiness from an admirer of Krishnaji (Dr Lohia) Mr Limaye wrote. Mr Limaye’s first letter to the President was written on May 29. The President replied on June 1 Obviously Mr Limaye was not satisfied with the President’s reply and so he wrote a second letter on June 3 In his second letter referring to this episode he says he regrets that he cannot accept the explanation about the President not unveiling Dr Lohia’s portrait. Mr Rabi Ray told me himself that you had earlier refused to unveil Dr Mukherjee’s portrait also But Lal Krishan Advani is a persistent person. You finally agreed to reconsider your earlier decision because of the pressure exerted by the former leader of the Opposition and also because you know the BJP is gaining strength. I have troubled you with these letters because of the respect Thad for you Mr Limaye has written.

It can be deduced from Mr Limaye’s second letter that the President did not accept his contentions.

SUGGESTION DISMISSED: Mr Limaye dismisses this suggestion. He points out the representatives of parties with whom Mr Venkataraman held discussions on his own initiative reported to their close colleagues He said he got the report from reliable party sources.

Another source was I name him since you are well acquainted with him George Fernandes. He told me you wanted elections to be postponed for two years. Who will pass the estimates  asked him. He told me that you felt a way out could be found I froze with astonishment Mr Limaye has written.

Then he goes on to quote excerpts of news reports from The Hindu (a newspaper which you certainly read) The Hindustan Times The Indian Express and a statement by Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee BJP leader All these reports appeared on May 24.

Article extracted from this publication >> June 14, 1991