Wednesday, Mar 05, 2003
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By K.V. Prasad
Explaining the rationale behind the move while replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address, Mr. Vajpayee said that the Government wanted the court to take a decision on the undisputed land. His statement drew an immediate protest from the Opposition. The House later adopted the motion through a voice vote, after some amendments moved by the Opposition were negatived. Mr. Vajpayee said the Government stand that the tangle be sorted out either by mutual agreement between the two sides or through a court verdict remained unchanged. Since the judicial process took time, he had sought the suggestion of eminent jurists in the House on how it could be hastened. There was no reason to fear that the Government's move could lead to a flare-up. Now that the Supreme Court had fixed a date, the parties concerned could present their views there. With the Opposition members expressing concern over the "lack of action" with regard to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader, Praveen Togadia's ``hate campaign,'' the Prime Minster said if any person violated the law or crossed limits, the law was there to attend to it. Such was the agitated Opposition's onslaught that at one point of time, Mr. Vajpayee sought "protection" from the Chair to enable him to continue his speech. Mr. Vajpayee's reply came a day after a similar exercise in the Lok Sabha. Today, he preferred to take up issues as diverse as the Government's commitment to Jammu and Kashmir, more powers for the panchayats, the Women's Reservation Bill, the need to address the unrest among tribals, economic growth and the relevance of the Non-Aligned Movement. Referring to the scepticism over achieving an 8 per cent growth rate, Mr. Vajpayee admitted that while the task was difficult, it was not impossible provided all the parties kept aside their differences and resolved to work towards it. On the Government's Vision-2020 and its emphasis on four areas of connectivity, he said it was necessary to find a way to generate funds. Progress in building the national corridor of roads reflected the Government's resolve to generate resources for infrastructure development. Similarly, Mr. Vajpayee said there should be an informed debate on how to find funds to strike a balance in the field of education with the twin objective of spreading literacy and keeping standards in higher education. Stressing on the need for granting financial and administrative powers to the panchayats, Mr. Vajpayee suggested that a joint session of Parliament be called to amend the Constitution, if all the parties agreed with it. He also acknowledged the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi's vision for empowering the people. Turning to Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Vajpayee said that the Assembly elections had ushered in a new chapter and that his Government was committed to addressing all questions. The appointment of N.N. Vohra as the Centre's interlocutor was a step in this direction. On the Non-Aligned Movement, he said it was still relevant and useful. Cooperation, not confrontation, was needed among the North-South countries. A mechanism was also required to allow NAM member-countries to share and benefit from experience in tackling poverty and rural backwardness.
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