The Hindu : Rao rules out forum with other ex-PMs

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Sunday, Mar 17, 2002

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National

Rao rules out forum with other ex-PMs

By Our Staff Reporter

Tirumala, March 16. The former Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao today stoutly denied the possibility of forming any kind of political forum with other former Prime Ministers.

In reply to a question, Mr. Rao said that when the Delhi High Court acquitted him and his former Cabinet colleague, Buta Singh, in the JMM MPs bribery scam on Friday, the former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, Chandra Shekhar and I.K. Gujral, who were present in the country's capital, as the Parliament budget session was in progress only made a courtesy call on him hearing the good news.

``After all, we are all good friends and all the rest also basically hailed from the same Congress party in the past. Morever, where is the need for me to think regarding the formation of a common political forum, when I am still a Congressman'', he said.

In reply to another question, he said that there was no meaning in the speculation made by the media that, the AICC president, Sonia Gandhi did not call on him. "Only this morning, she had called me and had congratulated me for getting through the JMM bribe case.''

Mr. Rao, who was here for darshan, first gently refused to make any comments regarding the "Godhra'' incident, but on repeated queries said that it was the duty of the Government to provide the details to the public whether there was involvement of any foreign hand.

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