Fernandes heads Udham Singh Nagar panel
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Oct 7 — The Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes will head a three-member committee set up today to sort out the dispute over Udham Singh Nagar District and prepare a report to be submitted to the Prime Minister before Parliament’s winter session.

The Chief Ministers of Punjab and UP, Mr Parkash Singh Badal and Mr Kalyan Singh will be the other members of the committee.

This decision was arrived here after a meeting the Shiromani Akali Dal leaders, Mr Badal, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Mr Surjit Singh Barnala, had with Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, Home Minister, Lal Krishan Advani and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madan Lal Khurana.

Mr Kalyan Singh and Mr Fernandes were summoned mid-way the meeting.

It may be recalled that the UP State Assembly had passed the Bill for creation of Uttaranchal State including Udham Singh Nagar district. The Bill has now to be ratified by Parliament.

Briefing correspondents after the over-two-hour meeting, Mr Khurana said the committee would "hold deliberations with all concerned and arrive at an agreed solution as to whether Udham Singh Nagar district should be part of the proposed new state of Uttaranchal or should continue to remain in Uttar Pradesh’’.

The winter session of Parliament is scheduled to start on November 30.

The meeting which began at 4.00 p.m. ended around 6.15 p.m. Mr Badal refused to add anything beyond what Mr Khurana said.

To a question whether by constituting a committee the dispute over Udham Singh Nagar district was put in ‘cold storage’, Mr Badal did not agree with it.

Mr Tohra, whose threat last week set the agenda for today’s meeting, said the report of the committee would be binding on all.

He said the working committee of SAD could now be held either on October 10 or 11, to discuss the issue.

Mr Tohra said the agenda for today’s meeting was only to sort out the Udham Singh Nagar issue. To a question as to what about the other demands raised by him, he said: "They will be taken up later’’.

The ground for the setting-up a committee was prepared in the afternoon during a meeting Mr Khurana had with Mr Tohra and Mr Badal.

In fact, Mr Khurana received a call from Mr Tohra’s office while he was at a press meet announcing the dates for the winter session of Parliament.

Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister, Surjeet Singh Barnala, who was present at the meeting told TNS later that the names for the committee were suggested by the Prime Minister, which were accepted straightaway.

He described the setting up of the committee as a "good arrangement" and said he was hopeful of a solution being worked out.

Asked whether by creating a committee, the dispute was put on the backburner, Mr Barnala said : "That was not the intention with which the discussions were held."

To a question as to when would the committee hold its meeting, Mr Barnala said it was up to Mr Fernandes to finalise the details and the manner in which it would function.

SAD bargaining for berth: CPM
From Shubhabrata Bhattacharya
Tribune News Service

EMS NAGAR (CALCUTTA), Oct 7 — Echoing for the first time the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress tune that an alternative government at the Centre will be thought of only if the present ruling coalition "collapses under the weight of its own contradictions", the CPM General Secretary, Mr Harkishan Singh Surjeet, made a dig at the BJP-Akali meeting in New Delhi today and said the SAD leadership was basically 'bargaining' with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, for another berth in the Union Council of Ministers.

"Aaj Prime Minister kuchh darhi walon se mil rahe hain (today the Prime Minister is meeting some bearded gentlemen)", Mr Surjeet commented when asked at the scheduled media briefing at the 16th CPM congress if he foresaw an early "collapse" of the Vajpayee regime.

Naming Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Mr Surjeet Singh Barnala, the CPM leader said the SAD-BJP meeting was not aimed at sorting out any "issue", but at getting more share of power. He hinted that if Mr Vajpayee worked out a power-sharing arrangement, his coalition might not be threatened.

Till yesterday, Mr Surjeet, while announcing his party’s new-found love for the Congress, had been offering support for the formation of an "alternative government."

While the official Congress spokesperson had welcomed the move, important CWC members had gone on record to state that the CPM and Congress were opposed to each other in some states and that the Congress wouldn’t bend backwards to get anyone’s support.

Mr Pranab Mukherjee’s statement to television channel "Aaj Tak", telecast on Doordarshan’s Metro Channel last night, particularly irked Mr Surjeet, who was today repeatedly asked by the media to comment on Mr Mukherjee’s statement.

Mr Mukherjee and Mr Surjeet have a personal equation. This resulted in a dialogue being initiated between the two parties earlier this year. Mrs Sonia Gandhi went to Mr Surjeet’s residence in New Delhi. She also met CPI leaders, Mr Indrajit Gupta and Mr A.B. Bardhan. Apparently, the CPM’s nudge regarding the need for the Congress to change its policies has not been received well by Mrs Sonia Gandhi and the recent statements of the CWC members, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, Dr Manmohan Singh, Mr A.K. Antony and Mr P.A. Sangma, emanated at the "high command’s" instance. While officials tried to pooh-pooh Mr Mukherjee’s "Aaj Tak" outburst, the CPM General Secretary looked ill at ease. He skirted the issue finally by light-heartedly commenting: "Aarey kitna jhagra karaoge?"

Discussions on the CPM’s political resolution ended today. The party has outrightly chosen a frontal attack. The billboards put up near the party congress venue by the CPM’s party newspaper, Ganashakti, (whose Editor is slated for induction into the politburo), identify economic sovereignty and secularism as facing a threat under the BJP regime.

The CPM strategy, as enunciated by Mr Surjeet today, is: First, let the Vajpayee government collapse on its own; second, let the Congress be prepared to form an alternative government (within the framework of the present Lok Sabha); and third, then and only would the CPM extend its support to the Congress and also rope in regional parties under the "third front" banner for ensuring a "secular" government to be formed to the detriment of "communal forces".

"People are not prepared for fresh elections", declared Mr Surjeet. And here lies the crunch: from available indications, while the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress wants a realignment of forces within the present Lok Sabha (after the November assembly poll) for toppling the Vajpayee regime, it prefers to go back to the people for a mandate before attempting its hand at government formation. The CPM and Congress, while working towards a common goal, are also headed towards different directions.

Meanwhile, as Mr Surjeet explained today, in the coming November poll, the areas where the CPM is not strong, it will work for the victory of "progressive" candidates. In other words, while an alliance with the Congress is not on the cards, a broad anti-BJP front is being mooted.

For the first time since it was formed in 1964, the CPM has stopped frowning at the Congress. It is extending a hand to this "bourgeois" party, albiet with a clinched fist.

Agencies add: The CPM on Wednesday said imperialist agencies and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan were aiding extremists in Tripura and equipping them with arms from across the borders.

Adopting a resolution at the party Congress here, the CPM said the extremist menace in Tripura should not be seen merely as a law and order problem created by hardcore armed extremist groups.

Mr Surjeet, who moved the resolution, said it was unfortunate that the Congress-TUJS-TNV opposition in the state was adopting a partisan and 'harmful stand' in not cooperating with the state government and instead making moves to destabilise the ruling Left Front.

Mr Surjeet also announced that veteran politburo member Jyoti Basu's retirement issue would be discussed at the ongoing party congress.

Octogenarian Basu, holding chief ministership in West Bengal since 1977, had earlier said the issue would be discussed at the party congress and it would be binding on him.