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Opposition resents Centre's reluctance to practice what it preaches

The Vajpayee's government's 'marked reluctance' to send constitutional directions to its Gujarat counterpart to control the law and order situation is fast putting it on another collision course with opposition parties.

On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani's told the Lok Sabha that the government did not have any information about relief camps being shut down in Gujarat and virtually ridiculed media reports to this effect.

He told the House that since both houses of Parliament had discussed the Gujarat issue, there was no further need to bring it up.

Advani also asserted that the government was fully aware of its constitutional obligations and would discharge them.

Opposition leaders have been insisting that the law and order situation in Gujarat can improve only if the Centre acts under Article 355.

Article 355 says - It shall be the duty of the Union to protect every state against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the government of every state is carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

During the debate on the censure motion on Gujarat in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, Advani had assured the House that the government would do its 'best' to fulfil its obligation under Article 355 to protect the lives and property of the people of Gujarat.

"There is a wide gap between what the government says in the House and what it practices outside. Though it supported the opposition sponsored censure motion, Advani appears to have adopted a different line today," said Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha member Ramjilal Suman.

"The government only paid lip service to the issue to ensure smooth conduct of the debate on the censure motion in the Upper House. Since the motion has been adopted, the government is now back to its usual doublespeak," he said.

"Advani's attitude gives us reasons to believe that the government is now backtracking from its commitment to apply Article 355 in Gujarat," pointed out Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Somnath Chatterjee.

"It is unfortunate that the central government has denied reports about relief camps being shut down in Gujarat," Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said.

"If this is the attitude of the Centre, we will continue our struggle against its injustice and misrule. The chasm between the opposition and the government can only increase," pointed out Congress Rajya Sabha member Suresh Pachauri.

"Even today violence continues in Gujarat and the central government is behaving as if it is nothing extraordinary. People have seen through its charade and they will give a befitting reply to the Narendra Modi government," Pachauri added.

Senior Congress leader Arjun Singh said he was not surprised by the central government's 'duplicity' on Gujarat.

"How can anyone be taken aback by the government's inaction when it has consistently been giving a clean chit to the Modi government," Singh said.

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