M A I N   N E W S

Government-RSS ties to be cordial: PM
From T.V. Lakshminarayan
Tribune News Service

ON BOARD PM’S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT, March 13 — Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee today sought to underplay the recent developments in Bihar saying it was not exactly a “setback” for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Mr Vajpayee’s comments on the Bihar developments, his first after the premature fall of the Nitish Kumar-led government, were made during his return from Mauritius, after a three-day visit, on board his special aircraft early this morning.

Justifying the NDA’s bid to form a government in Bihar, Mr Vajpayee told the media delegation accompanying him that it was made after the Governor extended it an invitation in this regard.

The Prime Minister said the Governor’s decision was based on “wisdom and conscience” and referred to the late President Shanker Dayal Sharma’s decision in 1996 to invite the BJP to form the government at the Centre. The decision had evoked criticism even then.

“It is not exactly a setback. The Governor had invited us but we could not prove our majority on the floor of the House. Now another government has been formed”, he said. “Democracy has triumphed in Bihar” the Prime Minister added.

When asked if the RJD government would be stable, Mr Vajpayee said the scene in Bihar was not yet clear. He doubted whether the RJD government would be able to provide stability.

On the Gujarat Government’s decision to take back its controversial order allowing government servants to participate in the activities of the RSS and the resulting setback to the BJP, Mr Vajpayee said it was a matter of opinion.

He said the Gujarat Government had not acted under any compulsion as the allies of the BJP were ready to vote for the government in the event of a censure discussion on the subject in Parliament.

The Prime Minister brushed aside suggestions that his government would have strained relations with the RSS following the appointment of Mr Sudarshan, considered to be a hardliner, as the organisation’s chief. “We will have very good relations,” he said.

The Prime Minister also responded to a host of other questions including US President Bill Clinton’s forthcoming visit to India, Cabinet expansion and rollback in food and fertiliser prices.

On the proposed talks with the USA, the Prime Minister said it would include all issues on a broad basis and some contentious issues would also figure in it.

He said the US position on Kashmir was well known and the USA considered it a disputed territory. He said the efforts during the exchanges would be to improve relations between the two countries.

On Mr Clinton’s decision to visit Pakistan on his way back from India, Mr Vajpayee said the US President had talked to him on phone conveying his desire to stopover at Islamabad. The Prime Minister said he told the US President that it was his sovereign decision. He, however, conveyed the apprehension that the US President’s visit to Islamabad would be seen by the military regime there as a stamp of recognition for it.

Coming back to domestic issues, the Prime Minister when asked if the government would rollback the Budget prices of foodgrains and fertilisers said “wait till the Finance Bill is passed by Parliament”.

On the new RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan’s veiled criticism of the Centre’s economic policies, he said his government was taking decisions based on national interest.

On his visit to Mauritius, the Prime Minister described it as “very good and fruitful” saying as many as four agreements were signed between the two countries enlarging bilateral cooperation. He said during his talks with Mauritian leaders he found similarity of views on all international issues concerning the two countries.