M A I N   N E W S

PM’s no to third party role in Kashmir
Ramesh Kandula
Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, November 14
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today described the performance of his government as “reasonably well” in the past six months despite the hurdles placed in its way by the Opposition in the initial days.

“Stability of the UPA Government is no more an issue, except perhaps for the BJP. During the past six months, we have taken several initiatives on various fronts,” Dr Manmohan Singh, remarked.

The Prime Minister spoke to reporters at Raj Bhavan here after formally launching the National Food-for-Work Programme at Alur village in Ranga Reddy district, near Hyderabad, earlier in the day.

Reeling out his government’s achievements such as peace initiatives in J&K and Nagaland, foreign policy issues and initiatives in areas like poverty alleviation, health and education, Dr Manmohan Singh, asserted, “you will see further improvements in the months to come”.

Reiterating that India would not allow any role for a third country in Kashmir, despite Pakistan President Musharraf’s recent statements, the Prime Minister, justifying his government’s decision on curtailment of troops, said the major reason for this was reduction in infiltration. “It’s an experiment we are trying but it is not an unacceptable risk,” he said.

Ahead of his proposed visit to Jammu & Kashmir, the Prime Minister said he was going there with great hope. “The Kashmiris have suffered a great deal and we want to put this chapter behind us.” About the disagreements with the Left parties on the hike in oil prices, the Prime Minister, while admitting that he shared their concerns, said he was confident that he would be able to convince them of the painful necessity of the step.

“Given the totality of the circumstances, there is no alternative but to raise the prices in the interest of the country,” he said.

Dr Manmohan Singh, vehemently denied any role by the Centre in the recent sensational arrest of Kanchi seer Sri Jayendra Saraswathi. “The Centre has absolutely no hand in this episode. It’s not correct to impute any motives to the Centre in this matter,” he stated.

About the AP Government’s efforts to secure huge loans for proposed irrigation projects, the Prime Minister did not see any harm in raising debts per se. “If the benefits are commensurate with the costs, taking loans is not a bad thing,” he observed.

Earlier, speaking at a well-attended public meeting in Alur village, Dr Manmohan Singh, who hoped that the food-for-work programme would help stop migration of the rural poor to urban areas in search of work, pledged that his government would strive to eradicate poverty and unemployment in the country and promised various initiatives to revive the rural economy.

The project, to be taken up in 150 drought-affected districts in the country, was aimed at ensuring that the rural poor got two square meals a day by providing them work throughout the year.

Union Ministers Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, S. Jaipal Reddy, D. Narayana Rao, state Governor Sushil Kumar Shinde, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and several state ministers, MPs and MLAs participated in the programme.

Manmohan not to act Santa during J-K visit
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 14
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s focus during his maiden visit to Jammu and Kashmir (November 17-18) would be on devising a strategy for long-term, time-bound sustainable development of the state and he would not be going there as a Santa Claus, sources in the Prime Minister’s Office asserted today.

Asked by The Tribune whether the Prime Minister was going to unveil a Rs three-thousand-crore package for J&K, sources said: “The Prime Minister is not going there as a Santa Claus. The word ‘package’ has got discredited in J&K because Prime Ministers have earlier gone to the state as a Santa Claus to shower gifts, as if this would address the real issues.”

Instead, Dr Manmohan Singh’s focus would be on a long-term plan for J&K and not on a package. “His aim will be to give hope for the future and not palliatives for the present,” a senior PMO official said.

When asked whom all the Prime Minister would be meeting during his two-day trip to J&K, the official said the Prime Minister would like to listen to common people and understand how the long-term concerns of the people can be addresed.

To a question whether the PM would be meeting Kashmiri separatist leaders, the official said Dr Manmohan Singh was ready to meet anyone. The PMO is expecting that the Prime MInister would be “snowed under” on one question by all and sundry whosoever meets him: the proposed Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service.

Shortly before his departure for J&K, the Prime Minister is expected to get an update from the Ministry of External Affairs on Indo-Pak relations in general and Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service in particular.

The first-ever technical-level talks on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service are scheduled to be held on December 7-8.

The PMO official said the Prime Minister was all for better connectivity between the Kashmiris on either side of the Line of Control — whether this connectivity is in terms of bus or rail or telecomunication.

“Better connectivity will help the Kashmiris on either side of the LoC,” the official added.