From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday aired its serious
apprehensions that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee appeared
all set to gag the Constitution and democratic rights of the
political parties.

The perception stems from what party spokesman Ajit Jogi
described as his refusal to allow a free and frank discussion in
the Rajya Sabha on the Kargil conflict as he said Vajpayee was
sufferring from "a sense of insecurity" which may compel him to
trample with the Constitution.

Stressing that a free debate was fundamental to a democracy,
Jogi told a Press conference that in 1962, 1965 and 1971 both
the Houses of Parliament had freely discussed and debated the
entire gamut of issues having bearing on the agressions against
the nation.

Ironically, it was Vajpayee, then the leader of Jan Sangh, who
had spearheaded the demand to summon the Rajya Sabha which was
conceeded by Jawahar Lal Nehru. The Congress dug out Vajpayee's
speech and distributed to the media to show how he mad made a
spirited speech wanting somebody to own up the negligence in
failing to protect the frontiers against China.

Taking strong objection to the BJP argument that a Rajya Sabha
session at this juncture would be divisive, Jogi said the
caretaker government has no right to doubt the patriotism and
sense of national solidarity of opposition parties, many of whom
have unmatched credentials of having been in the vanguard of the
freedom movement and the subsequent nation building.

The speech that Vajpayee had made in the Rajya Sabha on November
9, 1962 exposes him as to how intemperate and unbalanced
language he had used when the need of the hour was unity of all
parties and solidarity with the armed forces, Jogi pointed out.

He said it was ironical that a nation like Pakistan which had a
long spell of military dictatorship was having a vigorous and
open debate whereas in India, the largest democracy in the world
with its record of openness and transparency, is subjected to
restrictions.

Going by the strongly worded statement, it seems that the
Congress(I) has now decided to begin full throat campaign
against Vajpayee in particular and his government in
general. An insider said the AICC would be making copies of his
other speeches he made during the last three wars and release
them to the Media to show his lack of concern for the Armed
forces. END.
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