Sonia warns PM about 'perilous' situation

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI, OCT. 14. The ``perilous situation'' of war and conflict in our neighbourhood calls for the exercise of ``extreme caution and wisdom'' on India's part if it wishes to avoid a ``major communal conflagration'' here, the Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, has said in a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee.

The situation could get ``out of hand'' considering the daily dose of television which is showing disturbances and demonstrations in Pakistan. ``This is bound to have an effect on our minority community,'' she said, suggesting that a ``close watch'' needed to be kept on it as even a minor incident could spark a ``major communal conflagration.''

She has said that the country must avoid such a situation at all costs. She had written to all Congress Chief Ministers asking them to remain vigilant, and she wanted to share her view with the Prime Minister. Although Ms. Gandhi did not refer to the coming Uttar Pradesh elections and the attempt to revive the Ayodhya issue by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the recent announcement that an Ayodhya cell would be started at the Prime Minister's Office, the timing of the letter clearly showed that she may have had the delicate communal situation in Uttar Pradesh in mind. There have also been reports that some parties may want to start a riot in U.P. with a view to polarising Hindu Muslims votes.

The letter was written four days ago, on October 9, but released today by the party along with another letter dated October 12 in which Ms. Gandhi opposed the ``secrecy surrounding the development of a new syllabus for schools'' and the writing of new textbooks. In the second letter, Ms. Gandhi pointed out that the National Policy on Education was endorsed and sanctified by Parliament in 1986. ``Its core and secular values cannot be changed without the consent of the supreme legislative body, '' she said, reminding the Prime Minister the she herself had demanded that such changes should not be contemplated without consulting the States and a broad spectrum of experts.

If the Government did wish to change existing textbooks, it should demystify the process and announce the names of experts writing and scrutinising the new textbooks. Her demand was the new texts be examined by a panel of experts and academicians constituted through consensus before they are introduced in schools. She hoped this would get the Prime Minister's ``immediate attention.''

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