Report
AICC
Diary
On
Election Results
04.12.2003
: Shri Jaipal Reddy briefed the press.
Shri
Jaipal Reddy said that the election results have not come
as a surprise to the Congress Party. We see the results
mostly as the product of anti- incumbency factor. You will
recall way back in 1998 we won in all these four states,
because of the anti-incumbency factor that operated against
BJP at that time, except Madhya Pradesh. We may go back
to the historical background of all these four states, since
1967 these four states have been sharply bi-polar. BJS,
Janata Party and BJP on one side and Congress on the other
side have occupied the entire political space in these four
states. That there is certain cyclic pattern in the election
results in the historical sense. In 1967, BJS led alliance
won in these four states, 1972 Congress won, in 1977 JP
in which the BJS was the predominant part won, 1980 Congress
won and only in 1985 Congress won again because of the circumstances
in which Mrs. Indira Gandhi was slain. In 1989 BJP won,
in 1993 Congress lost because of the so-called Hindutava
wave. In 1998 Congress won in Madhya Pradesh by the margin
of less then one percentage of popular vote. Although we
won 1998, we lost on a huge scale in 1999 Lok Sabha polls.
These four states have been very much bi-polar, a swing
of small percentage of vote can make for a shift in terms
of large number of seats. We think more scientific, more
dependable, analysis of these results can be offered only
when you look at the percentage of the poll votes. Even
in Rajasthan we lost large number of seats, the difference
between BJP and Congress in terms of the percentage of the
poll votes is only three percentage, in Chhattisgarh it
would be less then one percent, in MP, this gap would be
larger as we were in power for ten long years, in any democracy
of a developing country anti-incumbency factors operates
to a formidable degree. No balance analysist can deny this;
we are on record when we say, two cheers to Mrs. Sheila
Dikshit, but we also offer two cheers to Shri Vajpayee,
who has made his own contribution to our victory in Delhi.
There is so much anti-incumbency against BJP led coalition
in Delhi. It did not happen in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan
and Chhattisgarh because the statehood is full, we did not
have the privilege of sharing the anti-incumbency of the
central government there, we had the advantage and privilege
of sharing the anti-incumbency with the central government
because the statehood is not full.
On
Judeo episode, Shri Jaipal Reddy said that first of all
Judeo episode, or the PAC and CVC controversy arose in the
last phase of the campaign by which time polarization among
the people had already taken place. Judeo is going to cause
long term damage to the image of the BJP, BJP will never
be able to relieve itself of the image of the Bangaru Judeo
Party. This will harm them for a long-long time.
Sting
Explanation Sought
08.12.2003
: Shri Jaipal Reddy and Shri Sayed Sibte Razi briefed the
press.
Shri
Jaipal Reddy said that the BJP leaders themselves proudly
proclaimed that the so-called `sting' operation against
Shri Ajit Jogi had been organized with the prior knowledge
and consent of the Deputy Prime Minister Shri L. K. Advani
as stated by the law minister Shri Arun Jaitely who publicly
owned up the operation. Whether ministers in the Union Cabinet
can be a privy to private sting operations? We believe that
every citizen of this country and media person in-particular
have a fundamental right to perform this sting operation.
But the question we are raising is whether union cabinet
ministers can be a privy to this kind of sting operation.
It is unprecedented besides being improper and unlawful.
We therefore demand an explanation from the Deputy Prime
Minister about what all he knows about this operation. He
owes a detailed explanation to the nation as to his knowledge
of this operation. We have a law minister who derives sadistic
pleasure from unlawful activities about him, the less said
the better but the DPM must explain his position. The Prime
Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister have been speaking
extensively on the virtues of cultured discourse in public
life. What is the language that the Deputy Prime Minister
used in Raipur about Shri Ajit Jogi being caught "with
his pants down", is this the new benchmark of public
discourse in the country.
Shri
Jaipal Reddy also added that the BJP today tried to drag
the name of the Congress President and they tried to do
this in Parliament. This is ridiculous. Even according to
the alleged transcript of the audiotape Shri Ajit Jogi did
not mention the name of the Congress President to the extent
we could understand from the audiotape it was the other
person who mentioned the name of the Congress President.
This kind of bogus attempt to implicate the Congress President
is highly condemnable.
On
the Judeo controversy, Shri Jaipal Reddy that when the BJP
described the videotapes as fabricated. We did not take
any position either by way of confirmation or by way of
contradiction about the quality of the alleged videotapes,
we did not condemn the contents of the tapes. You would
kindly recall in regard to the videotapes, which are supposed
to have superior evidential values. The BJP condemned it
and that they may have been fabricated; we did not take
any position. However we did think Shri Ajit Jogi committed
a grave impropriety by writing a letter to the governor
that was in violation of the popular verdict, which the
people gave in favour of the BJP and he not only did without
the knowledge of the high command. What he did was improper.
Standing
Committee Report
15.12.03
: Shri Reddy and Shri Satyavrat Chaturvedi briefed the press.
Shri
Jaipal Reddy said that all of you would have noted the latest
report of standing committee for defence, which has made
highly critical comments, first on non-utilization of funds
by the Defence Ministry. Secondly the Defence Ministry has
failed to protect the 10th five-year Plan for
defence procurement and third, as to how the Defence Ministry
failed in purchasing one lac Bullet Proof Jackets costing
Rs. 150/- crore till now.
Shri
Jaipal Reddy said that the standing committee was having
members from all the parties and Shri Madan Lal Khurana
was its Chairman. This committee drew attention of serious
failures second time. Shri Jaipal Reddy also said that the
Kargil Committee pointed out these defects also. Inspite
of the Kargil Committee and the standing committee report
the Defence Ministry did nothing. Shri Jaipal Reddy said
that Prime Minster needs to explain about this to the people
of the country. Shri Jaipal Reddy said that we are concerned
with the short working of the Defence Ministry and the standing
committee serves no purpose if its decision is not taken
seriously.
About
POTA Shri Jaipal Reddy said that the Congress Party condemns
the amendments of POTA, as they are not effective at all.
He said that the committee constituted in this matter couldn't
serve the purpose. He further added that the Congress Party
is not going to support the amendment in the present form.
About
Shri Saddam Hussein, Shri Jaipal Reddy said that the Congress
Party stands by the resolution anonymously adopted by the
Parliament. He said that we believe that he should be treated
with all the courtesies under the Geneva Convention. He
said that he has to be treated as Prisoner of War. He further
stated that the Congress Party wants the government of India
should pay attention to the arrest of Shri Saddam Hussein.
Deliberate
Delay
22.12.03
: Shri Jaipal Reddy briefed the press.
Shri
Jaipal Reddy informed the media that Shri Sitaram Gowali,
an independent Ex - MP from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, has
joined the Congress Party with 26 Gram Sabha Pradhans.
Shri
Jaipal Reddy said that the FIR filed against Shri Judeo
has confirmed the charges that the Congress Party has been
levelling against Shri Judeo, after the videotapes were
made public. Shri Jaipal Reddy said that the CBI and the
government knew about all the facts and yet the CBI deliberately
delayed the FIR by more than a month with the view to sparing
the BJP from the embarrassment before the election. We are
also amused to note that the places belonging to Shri Judeo
are raided after one month of preliminary enquiry (PE) was
registered by the CBI, apparently such a delay raised doubts
on the CBI. CBI spokesperson himself states that these raids
were organized with the view to get some incriminating documents.
Shri Jaipal Reddy said that we are gratified to note that
all the charges that we have been levelling has been proved
true. The BJP led NDA government was trying to shield Shri
Judeo. Our request is that from now, the inquiry must proceed
without fear or favour.
Asked
about the resignation made by the CWC members and the statement
made by Shri Ahmed Patel, Shri Jaipal Reddy said that he
is not aware of what Shri Ahmed Patel said? He said that
he can say about what Shri Anand Sharma said last night
that some of the office-bearers voluntarily resigned and
their resignation have not been accepted. Shri Jaipal Reddy
clarified that all the CWC members did not tender their
resignations.
Constitutional
Amendments
31.12.03:
Shri Reddy and Shri Anand Sharma briefed the press.
Shri
Jaipal Reddy said that the 97th Constitutional
amendment, under which the provision for split _ under the
anti-defection law has been passed in both the Houses of
the Parliament unanimously, nearly two weeks have since
gone by. Normally Constitutional amendments, which are adopted
by the Parliament with two third majority, are notified
immediately. In this case it has not happened and our charge
is that the government has deliberately delayed the notification
of this amendment. To play politics with the Constitution
amendment, the standing committee had passed after scrutiny
and after having been given clearance by the cabinet is
highly deplorable. This only shows the extent to which the
NDA government would go to tamper the system in the country.
We demand that all steps must be taken not only to obtain
the consent of the President of India for this Constitution
amendment bill but also notification issued forthwith.
On
Congress President's meeting with the CPIM leader Hrikishan
Singh Surjeet, Shri Jaipal Reddy said that the meeting was
to explore the possibility of unified secular force and
talks are on and no final shape has been given. DMK having
come out of the NDA, is the Congress Party making any attempt
to work out any alliance with the DMK? Shri Jaipal Reddy
said that Congress President did take the initiative by
calling upon the DMK president. There is a possibility of
tie-up of Congress Party and the DMK.
Shri
Anand Sharma said that it is very clear from the action
of the CBI that it has deliberately defaulted the revised
petition. The CBI was conscious of the time limit and it
has allowed it to lapse, to serve the interest of its political
masters. It once again confirms that the CBI one of the
premier investigating agency of this country is being reduced
to a mere tool by the present government and the CBI itself
is guilty of dereliction of duty. Shri L K Advani could
have been proceeded against in the court of law.
-
Tom Vadakkan
Media Secretary
