Opposition all set for attack

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB 22. Even as the Government has given enough indications that it wanted the citizens to tighten their belts and prepare themselves for a ``harsh budget,'' Opposition parties have begun to flex their muscles to take on the ruling coalition. A direct target would be the setting up of the Constitution review commission and the Gujarat Government's order allowing government servants to take part in RSS activities.

The Opposition has also let it be known that it would take the Government to task for ``conniving'' with agents of ``cultural terrorism'', attempting to ``re-write history'', assaulting ``academic freedom'' and starting the process of ``saffronising of the administration'' in Gujarat.

The Budget session opens tomorrow with the President, Mr. K. R. Narayanan, addressing the joint session of Parliament.

The Opposition would not get much time to do its bit as the House is normally adjourned immediately after the address.

The first few days of the session would be crowded - February 25 is the Railway Budget and on February 29 the Union Budget would be presented.

It is the day-after-tomorrow when the Opposition might have its say, and certainly one can expect a lot of noise and din during zero hour and several demands for short and long-duration discussions on issues such as the violence faced by Ms. Deepa Mehta's filming crew in Varanasi, the withdrawal of two volumes of the Towards Freedom project by the Indian Council of Historical Research, and the Gujarat order.

While the four Left parties - CPI(M), CPI, Forward Bloc and the Revolutionary Socialist Party - held a joint meeting today to identify issues, the Congress spokesperson, Mr. Ajit Jogi, said the party would turn the heat on the Vajpayee Government for its decision to set-up the Constitution review panel as well as the Gujarat order. The Congress has indicated that at least three important issues would be raised, apart from those that arise as a result of Budget proposals or executive decisions affecting the prices of essential commodities. Mr. Jogi made special mention of the deteriorating security in Jammu and Kashmir and the evaporation of the ``Lahore spirit.''

The Left parties have questioned the disinvestment policy and said the economic policies were ``anti-people.'' They intend exposing in Parliament the fact that the economy today was in a much worse shape than when the Vajpayee Government took over, one Left MP said.

The happenings in the Gujarat Assembly two days ago are also seen as an announcement by the Congress that it plans to make a big issue of the State Government's decision vis-a-vis its employees and the RSS, and on this the Left is likely to make common cause with the Congress.

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