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Union minister Milind Deora today termed Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's criticism of the controversial ordinance to protect convicted lawmakers as "healthy for democracy" and said there was nothing wrong in accepting and rectifying an error.
"It's a healthy day for democracy in Congress, its a healthy day for democracy in UPA government and its a healthy day for democracy in India," Deora, Union Minister of State for Communication and IT, told reporters here.
"We are also humans. In life there is nothing wrong in accepting and trying to rectify perhaps what would be called an error. There's nothing wrong, nobody should have an ego, people should be humble enough to accept and rectify an error. That's the nature and strength of democracy," he said.
Deora was responding to questions about whether Congress and the UPA government were not on the same page on the ordinance that prompted a strong criticism by Rahul Gandhi, who went on to call it a "complete nonsense" and a document that should be "torn up and thrown away".
Deora, who was the lone Union minister to have disfavoured the ordinance before its public denunciation by Rahul, however, said nobody in the government or the party had sought to "undermine the authority, the strength of the Prime Minister who all of us have tremendous respect for".
"The party and the government are one in this. We are solidly behind the PM and the government and party are one (on the ordinance)," he said.
"Those who wanted to try and make it a party versus government issue, who are demanding that the PM must resign, specifically with regards to BJP, they too should come forward and say this is a welcome step for democracy, the people of India have spoken. They should also accept that they too had a position which they changed now," he said.
Deora, considered close to Rahul, had taken to Twitter on Thursday to voice his displeasure over the ordinance, saying "Legalities aside allowing convicted MPs/MLAs 2 retain seats in the midst of an appeal can endanger already eroding public faith in democracy.
