PM 'cannot afford' to seek Sinha's resignation: Cong.

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG 3. The Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) today reiterated the demand for the resignation of the Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Sinha, holding him responsible for the UTI's US-64 muddle.

The Congress said the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which would look into the issues raised in the House on the US- 64, should probe the ``role of the Prime Minister's Office and members of his foster family''. It pointed out the alleged involvement of the PMO and sharpened its attack by targeting Mr. Sinha and the Prime Minister.

While demanding that the Finance Minister put in his papers, the Congress spokesman, Mr. S. Jaipal Reddy, said at the daily briefing that the only reason why Mr. Sinha still continued in office was that the Prime Minister ``cannot afford to ask him to go since the PMO is as much involved in the controversy as the Finance Minister''.

He claimed that Mr. Sinha's strongest point was that he ``knows too much'' and hence the Prime Minister could not give him the marching orders. ``It seems as if the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister are subtly blackmailing each other into mutual survival,'' he charged.

The Congress ridiculed the explanation given by Prime Minister's foster son-in-law, Mr. Ranjan Bhattacharya, that he spoke to the former UTI chief in connection with redemption of units held by the family in the Rajyalakshmi scheme.

NDA `fractured': CPI(M)

The CPI(M) was also aggressive with its Parliamentary Party leader, Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, berating Mr. Sinha for expressing ignorance on the UTI goings-on.

He said he felt the UTI debacle had ``fractured'' the NDA and, to stress this, cited the Shiv Sena keeping away from meetings, after having levelled serious charges in the Rajya Sabha.

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