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Vajpayee rules out dismissing TN government

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today ruled out the dismissal of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government in Tamil Nadu, made it clear that his government had no ''hidden agenda'' and sought ''constructive co-operation'' from the opposition in running the nation at this critical juncture.

''We will not misuse Article 356 (of the Constitution),'' Vajpayee said, amid thumping of desks by opposition members in the Rajya Sabha, while replying to the three-day debate on the motion of thanks to the President for his address to the joint session of Parliament.

The prime minister's statement came after Congress member Pranab Mukherjee drew his attention to Power Minister P R Kumaramangalam's reported statement in Madras yesterday that the people of Tamil Nadu would soon be relieved of the DMK government.

Vajpayee said his government was opposed to the imposition of President's rule in any state. Even in Himachal Pradesh, the government had asked the state governor to explore the possibility of the formation of a new government.

Later, the House adopted the motion by a voice vote. It also negatived all the amendments. The Lok Sabha had adopted the motion on Monday.

In his hour-long reply to the debate, Vajpayee said the Presidential address would serve as the guiding principle for the government which, he said, was committed to the all-round development of the country.

Dispelling the apprehension that his government would wind up the National Minorities Commission, the prime minister said, ''The Commission is continuing its work and is giving its report every year to the welfare ministry.''

Replying to the marathon debate on the motion of thanks to the President, Vajpayee asserted that his government would not deviate from the national agenda of the BJP and its allies. ''As long as I am the head of this government, we will try to implement only our national agenda... Let me reiterate that we have no hidden agenda.''

Welcoming the Congress's offer of ''constructive cooperation'' to the government, he said he even wanted consensus in the election of the Lok Sabha Speaker. ''Had there not been some unexpected developments in the election of the Speaker, there would have been no scope for complaint even on this issue,'' he added.

The prime minister said his government was committed to the passage of certain important bills in Parliament. ''We want that the Lok Pal bill, with the prime minister within its purview, and the women's reservation bill should be introduced immediately and passed.''

He said his government also proposed to modify the act relating to media privacy.

Vajpayee said the government in a democratic set-up could only be run through consensus. ''In a democracy, you can't hide anything. There is no effort to hide anything. We have no hidden agenda. Our only agenda is the national agenda, formulated by the BJP and its allies."

He said he had only sought five years time to serve the people. ''I have already announced that I will not go to the people to seek votes after five years.''

Coming to economic issues, Vajpayee said the government had no proposal to withdraw from the World Trade Organisation. ''We will continue to remain in the WTO and fight for our rights along with other developing countries.''

Expressing concern over the patenting of items like turmeric, he said India should produce world quality patents so that it could speak from a position of strength in the international arena.

He said India could not afford to stand isolated in the global economic community and would have to face challenges while remaining with the world bodies.

In an indirect criticism of the previous United Front governments, the prime minister said there was some laxity on India's part in the recent past in dealing with contentious global economic issues. ''Our viewpoints should have been put forth with firmness.''

Even on economic issues, it would be his endeavour to pursue the policy of consensus, keeping in mind the nation's interests.

Vajpayee said there could be differences among political parties on basic issues but ''we certainly cannot have differences on social issues''.

He agreed with the members that there was need for amendments in the anti-defection law. He said even the BJP to which he belonged had suffered due to the lacunae in the anti-defection law. He said any government formed by causing splits could not be stable, not to talk of its probity.

He regretted that even after 50 years of Independence many villages did not have drinking water. The people have chosen me to serve, not to rule, he said, and assured the house that such small but important issues would receive government's utmost attention.

The prime minister also appealed to Indians settled abroad to contribute generously for development of the country. He cited the example of China which got a lot of help from Chinese living outside the country.

UNI

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