Date:02/07/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/07/02/stories/2004070206051100.htm

National

Venkaiah disappointed

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JULY 1. The Bharatiya Janata Party president, Venkaiah Naidu, today expressed disappointment over the Prime Minister's defence yesterday of the presence of "tainted" Ministers in his Cabinet.

The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, had pointed out that the Vajpayee Government had chargesheeted Ministers in its Council of Ministers and the distinction sought to be made by the BJP between one kind of chargesheet and another was untenable. Mr. Naidu today maintained that the charges against some of the National Democratic Alliance Ministers were "political'' (even though these were criminal offences under the Indian Penal Code) while those against some of the Ministers in the United Progressive Alliance Government were "criminal."

At a meeting in Mr. Naidu's residence this morning, which was attended by the Leader of Opposition, L.K. Advani, and the NDA convener, George Fernandes, the NDA's strategy for the budget session was discussed. After the meeting Mr. Naidu said the protest against the "tainted" Ministers would continue, but the "form" this protest would take would be decided at the NDA leaders' meeting on July 5.

Mr. Naidu referred to the boycott of Mr. Fernandes by the Congress and the Left parties in the 13th Lok Sabha and said that the Congress has no moral right to object to "our protest."

He also said that the Government had no right to seek the resignations of the Governors who had a BJP-RSS background. "Asking for their resignations was unjustified, unwarranted and uncalled for,'' he said.