No threat to Mayawati Government in UP: Ajit

JAIPUR, Nov 2: Union Minister for Agriculture Ajit Singh today said there was no threat to Mayawati Government in Uttar Pradesh as the opposition was not united to be able to pose any problems for the ruling combine.

"The opposition is not united to pose any threat to the Mayawati-led BSP-BJP coalition Government," he told reporters here.

Singh expressed the hope that the problems created by BJP dissidents would be solved soon.

On assistance to drought-hit Rajasthan from the national calamity fund, he said the central team that visited the state had given its report and the task force would meet next week to decide on the quantum of assistance.

The State Government had submitted a memorandum to the team seeking central assistance of over Rs 6,000 crores.

Singh said "the centre would consider ending the distinction between families living below poverty line and those above it and also withdrawal of the five per cent increase in the cost of chemical fertilisers". Singh said there had also been scarcity of fodder not only in Rajasthan but its neighbouring states also. However, Punjab had assured to provide fodder to the state, he said.

He said the Centre had given rs 60 lakh for fodder enrichment in Rajasthan last year but the State Government "failed" to utilise it. However, in view of scarcity of fodder this year the centre had again sanctioned Rs three crores.

Rejecting the State Government’s charge that the centre was playing politics and not providing enough assistance to congress-ruled states, the minister said as soon as the state lifts the two-lakh tonne of wheat alloted to it, a fresh quota will be released.

He said all states were being extended full central assistance as per the norms fixed by the Finance Commission. (PTI)

Mayawati rules out special Assembly session

LUCKNOW, Nov 2: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today ruled out a special session of the State Assembly and indicated that the BSP and BJP would jointly contest mid-term polls, if they were "forced" on the state.

Addressing a press conference here to mark six months in office, Ms Mayawati denied any threat to her Government and said there was no reason to call a special session of the Assembly when the coalition enjoyed a majority in the Vidhan Sabha.

She also ruled out mid-term polls in the state, averring that her Government would complete its full term. However, if mid-term Assembly polls were held, the BSP would certainly go in for an alliance with the BJP, she added.

Terming dissident activities (in the BJP) as an intra- party issue, the BSP vice- president said it was unfortunate that Samajwadi Party leaders were trying to exploit the opportunity for their vested interest. She said the current crisis was temporary.

She termed the SP’s claim of support of 37 BJP MLAs a hoax. "If they had the support of these dissident MLAs, then why did they not give their names and signatures to the Governor," she queried. Terming the crisis in BJP as an internal matter of that party, Mayawati said it was a temporary phase and it would be resolved soon.

"All parties have faced similar problems in the past and it should not not be construed as if the BJP was on the verge of split", she said.

Hailing Congress president Sonia Gandhi for taking a "mature stand" on SP’s request to extend support to it to topple the BSP-BJP coaltion Government in the state, Mayawati said even after betraying the congress twice in the past SP president did not hesitate in knocking the doors of that party in its lust for power.

She said as per records all the parties which have joined hands with the SP have suffered great losses. "We too had joined hands with the SP and faced a lot of difficulties", she said .

Mayawati said Samajwadi Party has been predicting the fall of her Government ever since it was installed in May. "This time too SP’s all out efforts to gain power in the state would yield no results", she claimed.

Mayawati termed SP leader Amar Singh’s meeting with Governor during which he submitted a list of 204 MLAs claiming their suppoty as a "face saving device".

"Mulayam Singh’s statistics are far from truth", she said. Media to had come under his influence but has now begun to see the reality that Yadav would not be able to succeed in his mission of pulling down my Government, the Chief Minister claimed.

Asked about the reported victimisation of MLAs who had publicly opposed her Government, Mayawati said the action against some of them was part of the legal exercise and was not guided by political consideration.

She said an independent MLA and former BSP legislator Mukhtar Ansari had written to her yesterday saying he wanted to extend support to her and she accepted his offer. Ansari was expelled from the party before the Assembly elections.

On the non inclusion of independents in her ministry, Mayawati said she was not given the name of the former Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh by the BJP and hence he was not inducted in the ministry.

Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya has raised a banner of revolt after being denied a berth in the ministry.

To a question, Mayawati ruled out a major expansion of the ministry but added that as the state BJP president Vinay Katiyar and Urban Development Minister Lalji Tandon have expressed their opinion that BJP and its allies should be given more representation, a couple of ministers might be inducted.

On her relations with former Chief Minister Rajnath Singh, she said whatever problems existed were sorted out before the two parties entered into an understanding for forming a Government in the state.

Mayawati denied reports that BSP supremo Kanshi Ram recently held talks with Congress for contesting the next Lok Sabha elections together. "There is no secret understanding with the Congress and as decided earlier BSP would contest the next Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh with BJP, she added.

She dismissed allegations that she was luring the SP MLAs in her fold with ministerial berths.

The Chief Minister gave an account of the various achievements of her six month old ministry. (PTI)

Eco policies framed compromises on nation’s
security: RSS

NEW DELHI, Nov 2: The RSS feels economic policies were being framed in a manner that compromises India’s security which it will oppose.

It would also like the oil sector to be treated as a strategic sector and not be privatised. "....There are people in the cabinet who feel disinvestment should not be indiscriminate," RSS chief K S Sudarshan has said.

Giving an insight into the meeting the RSS top brass had with the Prime Minister and other BJP leaders last week, he said in an interview to "India Today" that the press created a hype "as if it were a meeting between President Bush and Saddam Hussain".

"This is a normal process. We gave our suggestions, they pointed out some difficulties. On the basis of this dialogue something will emerge. You develop a mechanism to have an exchange with allied bodies. You must not regard it as criticism. It is a democratic process to apply public pressure on the Government," he said.

To a question whether the Sangh has become too involved in politics in micro-management, Sudershan said it was not so.

"We only speak on issues where the nation’s security and integrity are involved. Today, economic policies are being framed in a manner whereby India’s security is being compromised. We will oppose this. We have spoken on assam, on infiltration," he said.

On privatisation, the RSS chief said oil was a strategic sector which was nationalised because oil companies played mischief in the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Asked how Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani responded, Sudershan said "we didn’t seek a response. It is for them to decide. But there are people in the cabinet who feel disinvestment should not be indiscriminate."

To a question about the points that the RSS stressed on during the meeting, he said "we said that in villages and cities people ask only one question. Why don’t you act against Pakistan? the Government keeps talking about Aar-Paar Ki Ladayi (decisive battle) and Sabr Ka Bandh Toot Gaya Hai (we have run out of patience.

"Then for months the army stands eyeball-to-eyeball but nothing happens. People ask, why does this Government not do anything at all," he said.

In the talks, Sudershan said the Prime Minister told them that India should have retaliated when Parliament was attacked.

"So why didn’t they do so. We realise they have to keep the international situation in mind. But it all adds up and people expect something to be done," he said.

The RSS chief said they told the Prime Minister that there were two streams of thought in the Government. One which feels that assistance should be got from abroad for development and the other which feels the nation should focus on resources available within in which foreign capital has little use.

Asked whether the Jammu experience, where RSS supported Jammu Statehood Morcha, nullified the Sangh Parivar concept, he said in the media it is called Parivar but each organisation was independent taking inspiration from the Hindu thought process.

He said what went wrong in Jammu was the Government’s reaction to the rss resolution that the state be trifurcated.

"We told the leadership (during last week’s meeting) that they could have said we will study it but they immediately said it was not in the national interest. We have been discussing this for two years. How could they say it was not in the national interest. They may not have agreed but to reject it out of hand...... That is why the BJP’s condition worsened in Jammu. Anyway let bygones be bygones," he said. Queried whether Jammu can be repeated elsewhere, Sudershan said that was not the situation right now but it happens when you take decisions without consulting state units.

Recalling that BJP ignored their suggestion not to tie up with Ramakrishna Hegde in Karnataka and AGP in Assam, Sudershan said "they shouldn’t rely only on sources of information that accrue on the strength of being in power. It would be better if they also asked the local units. They were going to lose so they did. In future it would be better to learn the lessons." (PTI)

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