Opposition chalks out strategy

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, NOV. 19. The non-Congress Opposition parties today decided to move an adjournment motion over Ayodhya developments in the Lok Sabha tomorrow and follow it up with another on the plight of farmers.

The parties, including the Left, Samajwadi Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (United), Indian Union Muslim League and the Janata Dal (Secular), which met here on the opening day of the winter session of Parliament identified issues to be taken up in a coordinated manner.

Interestingly, there appears to be a thaw in the relations between these parties and the Congress. This became possible after the CPI(M) Parliamentary Party leader, Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, had a meeting with the Congress president, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, last evening, where an understanding was arrived on floor coordination.

Mr. Chatterjee told correspondents today that the Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Mr Shivraj Patil, who was also present last evening, would coordinate on behalf of his party with the non-Congress Opposition.

It seems that Mr. Chatterjee will make his services available to help bridge the ``communication gap'' between the Congress and the non-Congress Opposition, especially the Samajwadi Party. He said the Opposition parties have agreed to take up issues on which there was a similarity of views. Significantly, the Samajwadi Party chief, Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, who till now had opposed any coordinated move by the Opposition parties along with the Congress, seems to have reconciled.

At a separate press conference today, when asked whether this session would see the Opposition presenting an united face, the SP chief said taking up issues on which different parties shared similar views could not be construed as some kind of ``merger''. However, this time the AIADMK was conspicuous by its absence at the meeting of the non-Congress Opposition.

Referring to other issues, Mr. Chatterjee said the reinduction of Mr. George Fernandes, POTO, Ayodhya developments, the recent three-nation tour of the Prime Minister, ``failure'' at the WTO Doha round, Malegaon violence and worsening economic situation would also be raised during the session.

Mr. Chatterjee took objection the Rs. 812 crore grant to Punjab announced by the Prime Minister on the grounds that it appeared that States with political affiliations with the NDA were being favoured. He said the Centre did not release funds to Bihar under the package after creation of Jharkhand or for flood relief.

Among those who attended the meeting chaired by Mr. Chatterjee were Mr. Ajay Chakraborty (CPI), Mr. Bir Singh Mahato (AIFB), Mr. Sanat Mandal (RSP), Mr. Ramji Lal Suman (SP), Mr. Shriniwas Patil (NCP), Dr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD), Mr. G M Banatwala (IUML), Mr. Simranjit Singh Maan (SAD-A), Mr. Haribhau Mahale (JD-S).

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