REPORT

AICC DIARY

No Truck with SGPC

11.11.2002: Smt. Ambika Soni and Shri Anand Sharma briefed the press. Smt. Ambika Soni said that Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, has expressed deep concern at the reporting in various sections of the press, both print and electronic, on the deployment of security forces near and around the Golden Temple, Shri Guru Hargobind Sahib in Amritsar. The Congress Party is a secular party and has never contested the SGPC elections. Smt. Sonia Gandhi has directed the Chief Minister of Punjab not to let any untoward incident take place, which could directly and indirectly hurt the religious sensitivities of any community.

Smt. Ambika Soni said that at the recently held conference of Congress Chief Ministers in Mount Abu, several Chief Ministers spoke about the problems confronted by landless tribals in not being allowed even to cultivate degraded forest land. This problem was also faced by other economically-vulnerable landless people who were deprived of even temporary permission to cultivate forest land. It was decided at this conference that since this whole issue was very complex and sensitive it should be discussed in greater detail and depth in all its ramifications and the Congress President decided that this discussion would take place at the earliest possible opportunity.

Smt. Ambika Soni said the issue may be discussed individually with Chief Ministers who raised this issue or it may be discussed on a regional basis. Those details have not yet been worked out but we are confident that discussions would be held before the next meeting of Chief Ministers.

To a question on whether the Chief Ministers asked for amendments in the existing laws, Smt. Ambika Soni said that they brought up the problems faced by landless tribals. Several Chief Ministers, like the Chief Ministers of Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Arunachal Pradesh and others, highlighted the problems faced by landless tribals and their inability to sustain themselves economically.

Asked about the problems being faced by landless tribals in Kerala and the State Government providing them land, Smt. Ambika Soni said that we are aware of the fact that in Kerala one acre of land was promised to every landless person. 1740 acres have been allotted but that is not enough. Even revenue land is not enough. All these problems will be discussed individually or collectively with Chief Ministers as soon as possible.

Why Yatra?

15.11.2002: Shri Abhishek Singhvi and Shri Syed Sibte Razi briefed the press today. Shri Abhishek Singhvi said that it is most unfortunate that just as things were settling down or appeared to be settling down in Gujarat, a deliberate attempt is being made to use religion in politics and a so-called Dharma Jagran Yatra is announced by the VHP. Coming as it does after weeks of communal carnage, after Godhra, this is indeed most distressing. "I quote from that famous phrase ‘Be you ever so high the law is above you’, we are reduced to the status that wherever we may be, as far as the VHP is concerned, ‘the law is below its feet’." The second important aspect is that everything has to be done to ensure a free and fair poll in Gujarat. The Election Commission took its decision after the report of the State Home Ministry to stop activities that would have created communal tension. Thirdly, we wish to emphasise that the very name of this Yatra is Dharma Jagran Yatra. We ask why now? Why just a few weeks before elections? There are umpteen Supreme Court judgements and precedents on the jurisdiction of the Election Commission. That constitutional body is left with no option but to prevent the creation of such a vitiating atmosphere.

BJP Divided House

18.11.2002: Shri Jaipal Reddy, Shri Kamal Nath, Shri Shanker Singh Vaghela and Shri Amar Singh Chaudhari briefed the press. Shri Shanker Singh Vaghela said that we will celebrate the 15th of December as the day on which the 15th Congress Government in the country will be formed for peace and progress and are going into elections on that slogan. The BJP is a divided house and is in a panic. BJP Ministers are running from their constituencies, even Modi is desperately looking for a safe seat. The BJP once again started their publicity stunts through the VHP. The VHP is an anti-Hindu organisation as it has worked to divide Hindus. The BJP in Gujarat despite a majority was unable to give stability. The State’s administration machinery has collapsed. Economically Gujarat has gone from number two to number ten. We are going to go in for elections on three planks - Employment, Electricity and Drinking Water.

Gujarat Report

22.11.2002: Shri Satyavrat Chaturvedi briefed the press. Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer Tribunal, set up by Gujarat Concerned Citizens, tabled its report today. The commission upheld the Congress view that the Gujarat riots were orchestrated by the ruling party. The ministers, people of VHP and Bajrang Dal were involved with crimes like rape of women, burning alive and looting. The riots were organized and carried out with "military precision." The bureaucracy, IAS and IPS officers, did not take steps to curb riots. Against the Chief Minister of Gujarat an FIR should be lodged and criminal proceedings carried out as no one is above law.

Shri Satyavrat said that Venkatswamy Commission investigation the Tehelka issue is not complete and Justice Venkataswamy has been offered an administrative post. In such a situation, the veracity of a report submitted by the commission would be questionable.

No Soft Line on Terrorists

25.11.2002 : Shri Jaipal Reddy and Shri Syed Sibte Razi briefed the press. Shri Jaipal Reddy said that there is no question of a soft line on terrorist at all. The government of India has been in touch with the government of J&K and all those who where released were released only after due consultations with the Central Intelligence Agencies. In fact the clearance of the Central Intelligence Agencies were obtained before any of them including when Mr. Yassin Malik was released. We need to draw a distinction between the hardboiled Pakistan-trained terrorist and some dissenting leaders of the movement in Kashmir. None of these eight people was implicated in any overt terrorist activity and each one of them even during the days of Dr. Farooq Abdullah’s government was arrested and released, so it’s not true to say that this government in J&K has adopted a different line at all.

Oxford Lecture :

Nothing Objectionable

28.11.2002 : Shri Satyavrat Chaturvedi and Shri Syed Sibte Razi briefed the press. To a question on the BJP’s allegation that the Congress President is attending a programme hosted by those connected with Osama bin Laden, Shri Satyavrat Chaturvedi said that this is a political fraud. This is part of their deliberate agenda to malign the Congress Party but we are equal to the challenge. The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies invited the Congress President six months back. Fifteen days ago, the programme was made public by the Congress Party. For fifteen days the Government or the BJP did not say a word, now when she has reached Oxford this irresponsible allegation has been made. If there was anything objectionable about the institute, the Leader of Opposition should have been warned by the Government in the last fifteen days. As the Government of India did no such thing, two inferences can be made - either the entire allegation is fictitious or the government has not done its duty. According to our information, there is nothing objectionable about the institute. International dignitaries like Mr. Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth have given lecture at this institute.

Congress Campaign Begins

29.11.2002 : Shri Anand Sharma and Shri Syed Sibte Razi briefed the press. Shri Anand Sharma said that the election campaign in Gujarat has begun. The BJP is fighting the elections on its communal and divisive agenda. The BJP’s strategy is to cover the total failure of their Government in five years on all fronts. They have failed to provide relief to those affected by the earthquake, drought and the carnage. The BJP Government has set the State back economically by a few decades. Whatsoever the Congress Party says in its manifestos is not merely meant for electoral purposes. Unlike the BJP, the Congress Party’s agenda is one for development, peace, prosperity and security. The Congress Party and the Congress President have injected a new component in governance by ensuring the implementation of poll promises.

- Tom Vadakkan,
Media Secretary