NAGPUR: The Janata Dal leader and former Prime Minister V.P Singh said the Congress (I) government was holding “mock elections” in Punjab with an eye to increasing its strength in the Lok Sabha.
Talking to reporters here shortly after his arrival from Bombay Feb.5 he blamed the Narasimha. Rao Government for the boycott of the Assembly and Parliamentary poll by major factions of the Akalis.
The Central Government had gone back on its promise given to the Akalis of a “package deal” including handing over of Chandigarh before the poll and resolving the Punjab tangle he said and added “it was the Congress (I) which forced the Akalis to boycott the poll.”
The Janata Dal leader said the Congress (1) had been consistently opposing holding of elections in Punjab and now it wanted an “Assam” or “Kashmir-type” of elections so that its candidates could get easily elected.
Singh described Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi’s “ekta yatra” as a “joint enterprise” of the BJP and the Congress (I). The coming together of these two parties in the economic and foreign policies is “sinister” he said and added that they were hand-in-glove in| trying to mortgage the country’s economic and political sovereignty with the IMF and the World Bank.
Referring to BJP leader L.K. Advanis visit to the USA he said Advani had assured his American patrons that the BJP would continue with the Congress Governments polices if voted two powers.
Answering a question he denied that his party had dilated its stand of the Mandal Commission re-port. “With us it is an article of faith” he remarked and alleged| that the government was trying to sabotage it by joint notification “on reservations to other backward Classes and the economically weaker sections.
He also criticized the government’s decision to recognize Israel and alleged that it was apparently taken under pressure from the International Monetary Fund. The decision was taken secretly without consulting the Opposition he pointed out.
The Janata Dal leader said his party would launch an agitation from February 17 against the centers policies of throwing its doors open to multinationals.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 14, 1992
