Kesri's ultimatum shocks UF

Rattled by the simmering revolt in the Congress following his soft stand on the Justice Milap Chand Jain Commission report in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, party president Sitaram Kesri has effected a quick volte face.

Serving an ultimatum on the United Front government, Kesri threatened to pull the rug from under the Gujral government if the Commission's report -- which has reportedly indicted the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham among others -- is not tabled on the opening day of the winter session of Parliament beginning on November 19.

Addressing a rally in Guwahati, Kesri charged Union Home Minister Indrajit Gupta with ''double standards''. ''After writing a letter to us informing of the government's decision to table the report, Gupta is now saying that more evidence is needed. This is doublespeak. We will not at any cost compromise on this matter and we must know the conspiracy behind the killing of our leader. This is an emotional issue for all of us,'' he added.

"The report should be tabled at any cost on the opening day of the session. 'We are not going to leave it so easily,'' he said.

Earlier, Congress vice-president Jitendra Prasada raised the issue and launched a scathing attack on the United Front, particularly the home minister.

Criticising Gupta for ''dragging his feet over tabling the report in Parliament'', Prasada said his party, the nation and the whole world wanted to know the conspiracy behind the killing of Rajiv Gandhi.

''Gupta is making irresponsible statements on the report, and is not fit to run the home ministry,'' he added.

The tough stand has come as shock for the United Front, and its leaders are trying to thrash out their counter-strategy. Gujral has reportedly sought a dinner meeting with the Congress president to clear the misgivings.

Realising that the tabling of the report would only be the beginning -- not the end -- of the crisis, senior UF leaders felt the Congress would gun for the DMK's blood once the report is tabled.

Sources said the UF is solidly behind the DMK and its chief M Karunanidhi. His Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu's statement in Madras yesterday confirms this.

With both the UF and the Congress apparently taking a tough stand, another confrontation seems to be imminent even as senior Congress leaders like Arjun Singh and K Karunakaran step up their campaign on the Jain Commission report.

The two leaders, who were among the Congressmen who raised a banner of revolt against Kesri's soft stand in this regard, reportedly briefed Rajiv Gandhi's widow Sonia on the developments after her return to New Delhi from London.

With the dynasty angle further precipitating the crisis, the Bharatiya Janata Party seems to waiting in the wings to take advantage of the situation.

The party's strategy is to make more UF leaders, including Gujral who was on the Cabinet sub-committee which decided to withdraw the Special Protection Group cover to Rajiv Gandhi, vulnerable in the controversy.

RELATED REPORT:
UF buys time with denial

EARLIER REPORTS:
Naidu-Moopanar-Karunanidhi meet spurs speculation
UF sits on 'time-bomb'
Govt will ask Jain panel to provide evidence
Jain report will have serious implications: Congress
Jain panel interim report indicts Karunanidhi, V P Singh, Chandra Shekhar

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