New Delhi, June 25
Former Prime Minister V.P Singh today clarified that Congress President Sonia Gandhi had declined the Prime Minister’s post in 2004 not
because of security concerns but because she did not want to give the BJP an opportunity to
embarrass the new government on the issue of her foreign origin.
Stating that her views appeared to be very genuine, Mr V.P Singh said it was incorrect to say that she had given up the post because she feared for her life. “It was not for security reasons that she gave up the post as was being made out by a section of the media,” he said while speaking at a function held here this evening at his residence to celebrate his 75th birthday.
Mr V.P Singh’s biography titled “Manzil Se Safar Zyada”, which was released on this occasion, contains a detailed account of those turbulent days when the NDA Government was swept out of power and the Congress-led UPA took over the reins of the country.
This programme, which was attended by prominent Left and socialist leaders, was followed by a special dinner at Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s residence where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took lead in felicitating Mr V.P Singh. He was joined by his party colleagues Meira Kumar, Santosh Mohan Deb and K.Natwar Singh.
Both the programmes were ostensibly meant to be purely apolitical events , meant primarily to felicitate the former Prime Minister V.P Singh on his 75th birthday.
But the line-up of those present at the function appeared to suggest that this social gathering could well pave the way for fresh political realignment in the coming days. Besides Mr Paswan, the function at Mr Singh’s residence was attended by Left leaders A.B Bardhan and Sitaram Yechury, UPA allies like NCP spokesperson D.P Tripathi and PMK chief S.Ramadoss. Former Prime Minister I.K Gujral and Janata Dal
ideologue Surendra Mohan were among the key speakers. There were no hard-hitting
political speeches on the occasion - most speakers concentrated on greeting Mr V.P Singh describing him as a great statesman, messiah of social justice and political sutradhar—but the underlying message was unmistakable. Left leaders, who periodically talk of forming a third front, referred to Mr V.P Singh as their natural ally. Both Mr Yechury and Mr Bardhan spoke of the close relations between the Left parties and Mr V.P Singh and hoped this relationship would be further strengthened in the coming days.
Parties opposed to the Samajwadi Party and the BSP used this occasion to showcase their solidarity ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly poll next year. Mr Paswan along with the RJD and suspended Samjawadi Party leader Raj Babbar have joined Mr V.P Singh’s recently-floated forum— Jan Morcha— to take on the Mulayum Singh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh and have also addressed several joint rallies in UP over the past several weeks. Mr Yechury’s presence at the function, however, was significant as the CPM
continues to maintain close relations with the Samajwadi Party unlike other Left parties which have joined Singh’s Jan Morcha.
