National

It is a Cong. trap, says PM

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 1. Ahead of Thursday's discussion on Gujarat in the Rajya Sabha under a substantive motion, the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, today asserted that the "NDA has come to stay" and asked the Opposition not to "fall into the trap laid by the Congress as it was not even in a position to join hands with the Samajwadi Party".

Speaking to presspersons on the sidelines of the Maharashtra Day celebrations here this evening, a rather relaxed Mr. Vajpayee termed the "victory" in the Lok Sabha as "expected". He said the Telugu Desam Party was still with the ruling alliance even as he drove home the point that the Opposition was far from united.

As for the resignation submitted by the Minister of State for External Affairs, Omar Abdullah, from the Union Cabinet following the National Conference decision to abstain from voting during the discussion on Gujarat under Rule 184 in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Mr. Vajpayee said, "We have not accepted his resignation as yet."

The Prime Minister referred to the Congress(I) president, Sonia Gandhi's speech in Porbandar today where she observed that "Mahatma Gandhi's State is being turned into a State of Godse". Taking "strong exception" to the comment, Mr. Vajpayee said, "This is not the way to evolve a consensus on national issues."

Earlier, while addressing the function organised by the Jagatik Marathi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he did not respond to the Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Manohar Joshi's request for transfer of Belgaum and Karwar to Maharashtra. Instead, he spoke of his long association with Maharashtra and the movement for the formation of a separate Marathi-speaking State. About the movement for a separate Maharashtra along linguistic lines, Mr. Vajpayee lamented that several lives were lost in the process.

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