M A I N   N E W S

Congress pulls out all stops to save UPA
All-party meet on Tamil issue fails
SP, others oppose resolution
Tribune News Service

The government is neither lame, nor duck. It is not lame duck. We are absolutely, absolutely stable. If there is any test, it is on the floor of the House. But no political party has come out to challenge our majority. — Kamal Nath, Parliamentary Affairs Minister It is our duty to steer the ship through the maelstrom and our hands are firmly on the wheel. — P Chidambaram, Finance Minister

New Delhi, March 20
Faced with an unprecedented crisis following the exit of the DMK from the UPA, the Congress today emphasised that the ruling coalition was steady. Seeking to retrieve lost ground in Tamil Nadu, the party also dismissed suggestions of the Central Government being a “lame duck”.

Insisting that there is no threat to the government, political managers in the Congress went on to quell bush fires by seeking to work on a resolution in Parliament on the Sri Lanka issue as also attempting to mollify the Samajwadi Party, which provides crucial support from the outside.

An all-party meeting called by Speaker Meira Kumar failed to offer a road map with the Samajwadi Party and others opposing any resolution against a “friendly neighbour”.

Union Ministers P Chidambaram, Kamal Nath and Manish Tiwari addressed the media here today. The Finance Minister suggested that the DMK altered its stance after the UPA top brass had started talks on bringing a resolution in Parliament against the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka and seeking an international probe into human right violations there, as demanded by DMK chief M Karunanidhi.

Completing the process of pulling out of the Manmohan Singh government, five DMK ministers submitted their resignations to the Prime Minister albeit in a staggered form, leading to a speculation about intra-party differences over the decision.

Party sources said MK Alagiri, son of Karunanidhi, and D Napolean chose to meet the PM separately after SS Palanimanickam, S Jagatharakshakan and S Gandhiselvan put in their papers, to convey displeasure over not being consulted on the exit move.

BSP leader Mayawati reiterated comforting words of extending support to the UPA government from outside even as SP members disrupted Parliament proceedings, seeking resignation of Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma for purported remarks against the party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

On her part, Congress president Sonia Gandhi walked up to Mulayam Singh Yadav in the Lok Sabha, a gesture interpreted by many as a move to pacify the SP chief. She later held a meeting with Beni Prasad, who then went on to express “regret” for his remarks.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath underscored the fact that no political party has challenged the majority of the coalition on the floor of the Lok Sabha, rejecting any impression that the Congress-led government had become weak after the DMK withdrew support with 18 MPs in the 541-member Lok Sabha.

“The government is neither lame, nor duck. It is not a lame duck. We are absolutely, absolutely stable. If there is any test, it is on the floor of the House. But no political party has come out to challenge our majority,” Nath, said.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram, while acknowledging “challenges” in running a coalition government, said, “It is our duty to steer the ship through the maelstrom and our hands are firmly on the wheel.”

Chidambaram said the fact that the Congress was seeking to push the resolution even after the DMK walked out of the UPA was indicative of the party’s stand on the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

The Congress parliamentary managers were, however, aware that a parliamentary resolution could face strong resistance from the Opposition BJP as it did not favour a country-specific stand.

Having lost the DMK, the Congress hopes to regain some space by bringing a resolution on the plight of Lankan Tamils. In the current political situation, however, the immediate task at hand is to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament before it goes into recess on Friday.