NDA stalls House over tainted ministers

UPA explores alternatives to PMs reply to motion of thanks

The issue of "tainted ministers" in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government remained centre stage with the Opposition creating a storm in Parliament.

With the Opposition firm on its stand, UPA managers have started thinking of alternative strategies for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to reply to the motion of thanks to the President's address, if he cannot do so in Parliament.

One possibility, being explored,  is an address by the Prime Minister on national television, where he can address the issue of tainted ministers head on.

As soon as Parliament was convened, to initiate the debate on the President's address, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders in both Houses rushed to the well  shouting slogans like "Manmohan Singh shame shame."

The Opposition has been criticising the government for inducting several people, with criminal cases pending against them, in the Union council of ministers.

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, however, ignored the protesting Opposition to run the Lok Sabha for at least 40 minutes. Long enough time for Pawan Bansal and Jyotiraditya Scindia (both Congress) to make their speeches lauding the presidential address. First, Chatterjee adjourned the House till 2 pm, and then for the day as the Opposition refused to give way over the issue.

While the BJP continued to hold on tight to the issue of tainted ministers, the Congress and its allies, especially the Rashtriya Janata Dal, defended the ministers, calling the BJP-led NDA a "bunch of hypocrites".

Minister of State for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal said the BJP had no right to raise the issue, considering that former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani had also been chargesheeted in the Ayodhya case.

Minister of State for Water Resources Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav said charges did not amount to conviction. "In politics, charges are filed to fuel political rivalry," he said. The BJP was twisting the situation to its benefit, he added.

Irked at the minister's remarks,  former Defence Minister George Fernandes said the kind of criminal charges against ministers like Taslimuddin and MAA Fatimi were hardly the result of political agitation. "Do you mean rape is a political charge? Looting the treasury is a political charge?" he said.

The NDA's strategy to corner the government is expected to continue tomorrow, despite the fact that the UPA has enough ammunition of its own to corner the NDA over the Kargil issue. NDA strategists are aiming at driving a wedge between the Left and the ruling party on the tainted minister issue.

They are harping that while the Prime Minister is an honourable man, known for his image and honesty, it is others in the coalition who are responsible for weighing down the UPA image.

The NDA also plans to capitalise the signed article by AB Bardhan, CPI general secretary, in the party organ "New Age", criticising the government on the issue of chargesheeted ministers.