Congress says it will only give issue-based support to UF government

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The Congress Working Committee has decided to extend only issue-based support to the United Front government.

Congress spokesman V N Gadgil said the CWC has resolved not to extend unconditional support to the Front as then party president P V Narasimha Rao had indicated last June, but only issue-based support. The CWC has authorised party chief Sitaram Kesri to take appropriate measures in this context.

The CWC meeting lasted five hours during which it was apparent that the Kesri-camp had out-maneuvered the Congress dissidents by setting up a five-member committee to investigate the reasons for the party's rout in the Punjab assembly election. Kesri and his allies thus took the wind out of the sails of the rebel campaign to pillory the party president on the Punjab debacle.

Asked whether the CWC had authorised Kesri to withdraw support to the United Front government, Gadgil pointed out that a decision in this regard would be taken in consultation with the committee.

The CWC took grave exception to the UF government's inability to contain the Bharatiya Janata Party during the assembly elections in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. It lashed out at the "anti-Congressism" which it felt was still pre-dominant among constituents of the ruling coalition.

While regretting that the UF constituents had not shed their anti-Congress feelings, the CWC resolution said the Front government had not considered Congress suggestions for the betterment of the people. It urged the UF government to review its performance and bear in mind that henceforth the Congress support would not be unconditional, but issue-based.

Gadgil pointed out that during the Budget session of Parliament, which begins on Thursday, there would be at least eight occasions when crucial voting would take place. The Congress, he said, would take a decision on supporting the UF government on an issue-by-issue basis.

Significantly, Congress rebel Rajesh Pilot had a heated argument at the CWC meeting with R K Dhawan and Balram Jakhar on the issue of party leaders, chargesheeted in various cases, quitting their positions on the committee. Dhawan, it is learnt, angrily told Pilot that he was willing to resign from the CWC if other members resigned if he proved that they had received funds from him. Kesri restored peace between Pilot and the Dhawan-Jakhar duo by contending that no leader was guilty unless proved otherwise in a court of law.