The Hindu : Gujarat elections must be free and fair: Advani

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2002

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Gujarat elections must be free and fair: Advani

By Javed M. Ansari

NEW DELHI NOV. 18. The Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, today came close to committing himself to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's line on Gujarat. He agreed that the Assembly elections should be fought on issues such as good governance and development.

Replying to an Opposition-sponsored adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha, which was defeated by a voice vote, Mr. Advani said, "everybody including my party and its allies must ensure that the polls are free and fair and must be able to assure good governance and the safety of people of all religions in the state''.

The Deputy Prime Minister's comments came at the end of a six-hour lacklustre debate. For most part, it was a tepid affair, and, barring Praveen Rashtrapal of the Congress and P.A. Sangma (NCP), most of the presentations lacked thrust and direction. The indifference was reflected in the poor attendance, and at one point the proceedings were held up because of lack of quorum.

Like the speakers who preceded him, Mr. Advani too broke no new ground, and merely used the occasion to reiterate the points he had been making all these months. He described the Ayodhya movement as "shresht" (excellent), but hastened to add that the demolition on December 6 was wrong and `one of the most painful days of my life".

Mr. Advani said the concept of a religious state was alien to the Indian ethos. "This country will not accept communal violence and pseudo secularism''.

Earlier, the Opposition parties took the Government to task for its inability to rein in hardliners within the "sangh parivar" for their proclivity to play the communal card and for their vituperative outbursts against the Chief Election Commissioner.

The member who moved the motion, Subodh Roy (CPI-M) said the situation in Gujarat posed a threat to the country and the Constitution. "The rule of law has given way to jungle raj in the State".

`Dangerous trend'

Mr. Sangma described the recent criticism of the Chief Election Commissioner, J.M. Lyngdoh, by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) as unprecedented and a dangerous trend. "It is an affront and an insult to Meghalaya, the northeast and the tribal people''.

Almost all the Opposition MPs too criticised the attack on Mr. Lyngdoh and the language used against him by the VHP.

Mr Rashtrapal said that while the people of Gujarat were crying out for development, water, electricity, jobs and economic uplift, the BJP and its allies had embarked on a communal agenda merely to capture power. He warned that if they succeeded in Gujarat, the same formula would be applied elsewhere in the country.

The Congress member also urged the Prime Minister and Mr. Advani to direct the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, and the VHP to refrain from using abusive language against the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. "If they continue in this vein, something terrible may happen, the responsibility for which will be entirely with the BJP."

The Minister for Civil Aviation, Shahnawaz Hussain, and Hiren Pahthak took up the cudgels on behalf of the Government. The former sought to turn the tables on the Congress by blaming it for all the woes suffered by the minorities. "History will show that we have the most secular Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister".

Mr. Pahthak said the discussion would only inflame the passions in Gujarat. "There is little merit in discussing the issue now, as no new incidents had taken place since July when the issue was last taken up in the House. "On December 12, the people of my State will give the verdict. Leave it to them, let them decide," he urged the members.

Prominent among others who took part in the debate were E. Ahamad (IUML), V.K. Malhotra (BJP), Priyaranjan Dasmunshi (Congress), Roopchand Pal (CPI-M), Madhusudhan Mistri (Congress) and Vallabhi Kataria (BJP).

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