Advani, Joshi must quit: Cong.

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 4. Three days ahead of the eighth anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, Congressmen today demanded the resignation of Union Ministers, Mr. L. K. Advani, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi and Ms. Uma Bharti, and forced the Speaker to adjourn the Lok Sabha for the day.

Raising the issue, Mr. Jaipal Reddy said that since the Ministers were chargesheeted by the CBI ``they should resign on grounds of impropriety''. The Congress benches maintained that the Government itself had set a precedent, getting Mr. Hiren Pathak to resign from ministership after he had been charged by a lower court in Gujarat.

The Congress appeared determined to press ahead with the issue and even sprang a surprise on the treasury benches as well as parties like the Samajwadi Party, by initially moving a motion under Rule 184, which entails a vote after the debate.

``I rise more in sadness than in anger,'' Mr. Reddy said and explained that since the CBI had chargesheeted the Ministers and as the designated court had found them prima facie guilty, their continuance amounted ``to a constitutional impropriety''. Caught unawares, the treasury benches responded with Mr. V. K. Malhotra first and later the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr. Pramod Mahajan, joining with the Congress MP. Both the Prime Minister, Mr. A B. Vajpayee, and Mr. L. K. Advani, were present but did not respond.

Mr. Reddy was supported by the rest of the Congress members who were on their legs as the Speaker tried to dissuade him from making a speech. They also moved into the well and thus forced an adjournment. When the House reassembled at 2 p.m., they again trooped into the well chanting slogans ``We want resignations'', and turned a deaf ear to requests from the chair to resume their seats.

The party made it clear that it would keep raising the issue until its members were allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha. ``We will continue to raise this issue,'' said Mrs. Margaret Alva, spokesperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party. She accused the three Ministers of trying to use their leave of absence from the court to prevent its framing charges.

Mrs. Alva pointed out that since the Home Minister himself was charged, ``no investigations will be completed as long as he remains in charge of the Home Ministry''. The issue related not just to Ayodhya but also to constitutional propriety, and the Congress could not afford to remain silent, she said.

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