A government by consensus, promises Gujral

Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral has promised to govern the country by consensus and build a new era of co-operation.

"I don't think anything can be built on anti-isms... India is entering an era where we should think more in terms of co-operation and reconciliation, not only among those who are participating in government and those who are supporting it but even those who sit in the Opposition benches," Gujral told Star News on Sunday night.

He admitted that managing a coalition government would not be easy and would require some skill as "this is a... composite government with some parties supporting it from outside".

The prime minister said he hoped to use methods tested internationally in the domestic scene too. "Conciliation, friendship and co-operation are all aspects of the secular face of India... Another aspect of this doctrine is social justice," he said, adding these were the bulwarks on which his doctrine for internal politics would be based.

He was asked how he intended to bring in value-based politics when manipulation was part and parcel of politics. He admitted, "There have been some dips in our style of functioning. I think that can be changed by making public life transparent and also more accountable."

Asked if he would like the Congress to join the government, Gujral said, "I think we must create a... a relationship in this country where co-operation, whether participating in the government or not, becomes the basis on which a healthy democracy can be built and sustained."

Gujral said his predecessor, H D Deve Gowda, had performed remarkably in his 10-month tenure. "This government has achieved a lot. But I don't want to rest on its laurels; we have to go forward."

Later, Gujral said his government was determined to widen the ambit of the economic reforms. "Political developments must never be allowed to cloud our vision of the future," he said.

Meeting captains of industry at the Confederation of Indian Industry, he said, "Even though there is a change in government, there will be no change in policy or framework of economic reforms."

He sought to allay fears that frequent political crises could hamper the pace of reforms and inflow of foreign investment. "Our political parties may be weak or strong but the system is strong," he said, adding that Indian industry had both the resilence and capacity to achieve a GDP growth rate of eight per cent by the turn of the century.