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Congress for step-by-step approach to removing Gujarat government

The Congress has distanced itself from the demand made by its senior leader Sharad Pawar that the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Gujarat be dismissed. Party spokesperson Shivraj Patil said it favoured a step-by-step approach to prevent the beleaguered Keshubhai Patel government from deriving political mileage.

"We do not want to take political advantage by asking for the removal of the government," Patil said.

There were stages for imposition of Article 356 before clamping President's rule, Patil said, warning the Vajpayee government against being complacent in instructing the state government to take strict action against miscreants attacking Christian minority establishments.

The Union government, he said, was competent to direct the state government to put a stop to the violence against the minority. The party delegation had already met President K R Narayanan requesting him to ask the government to take stringent action to check recurrence of such incidents.

The former Lok Sabha speaker parried all questions on whether there were differences among party leaders over the demand for dismissal of the Keshubhai Patel government. He said exoneration of the state chief minister by the BJP high command would prove costly for the party in the long run.

Patil was also non-committal about Pawar's statement that the Congress was not consulted before naval chief Vishnu Bhagwat was sacked. Patil said he had not gone through his party senior leader's statement.

When mediapersons pressed the point, Patil said, "I do not think the party was consulted on the issue." But he repeatedly asserted that his party didn't want to behave as a irresponsible opposition either in the case of Gujarat or in the sacking of the naval chief.

Since the latter issue related to the country defence and security and was a "complicated one" his party did not want to further complicate it by making "unwanted statements" on the matter. But he said his party did feel the issue was ''ineptly handled'' by the government.

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