The Hindu : Don't air views on subsidy cut, Advani tells party MPs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 05, 2003

National

National

Don't air views on subsidy cut, Advani tells party MPs

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MARCH. 4. The Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, today virtually prevented his party MPs from airing their views against the proposed cut in subsidy on urea and other fertilizers.

He suggested that they let the Finance Minister, Jaswant Singh, know what they felt and then wait patiently till he responds through his reply to the debate on the Finance Bill.

At the BJP parliamentary party meeting this morning, which was chaired by Mr. Advani in the absence of the Prime Minister, several MPs sent `chits' to him to indicate that they wanted to speak. But before allowing them to do so, Mr. Advani suggested that they submit their views to Mr. Singh and refrain from making public statements critical of the Union budget. After all, the budget had been largely welcomed by all — even the Opposition parties had described it as election-oriented and populist, he noted.

The issue has been worrying the party as they feel it is bound to be exploited by the Opposition to level the charge that the BJP is anti-poor and anti-farmer, and they cannot afford this at a time when they have just lost the Himachal Pradesh elections and have to face the electorate in four key States later this year.

The party is still hopeful that Mr. Singh — who did not attend the meeting today — will find a way to restore the subsidy in a manner that would directly benefit the farmer.

Mr. Advani is also reported to have warned his party MPs that they should not say anything or do anything that would give an opportunity to the Opposition to show up differences between party leaders, between the party and the Sangh Parivar, and between the party and its allies. He said the Opposition had for several years tried to create a wedge between the allies by dwelling on some differences, but it had failed.

During its three-and-a- half-year rule, the NDA had become stronger and the Government more stable, he added.

The party spokesperson, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, told reporters later that Mr. Advani noted that the Nagaland election results were a matter of satisfaction and they demonstrated that the BJP "was not anti-minority" and that it could gain the confidence of the minorities.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National