Author: Pioneer News Service
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: May 10, 2008
Introduction: While comparing with current
situation in Congress
After criticising the party's decision-making
process, senior Congress leader and Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh on Friday
kicked up yet another controversy by suggesting that there was more freedom
of expression in the party when Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi were at the
helm.
Starting with the regime of Pt Jawaharlal
Nehru, Singh traced his relations with Indira Gandhi and also touched the
declaration of Emergency, a very sensitive issue for which the former Prime
Minister drew a lot of flak.
Singh said: "When Emergency was declared
in 1975, I wasn't favourably disposed towards it. I agreed with the need for
it but realised that there were several possibilities of its misuse. But neither
Indiraji nor Sanjayji ever stopped me from expressing myself during Emergency."
Comparing the freedom he enjoyed in those times with the current situation
in the Congress, Singh said: "At present, the evaluation of loyalty is
conducted in a very limited context."
Despite "differences of opinion"
on Emergency between Sanjay Gandhi and himself, Singh said he (Sanjay) campaigned
for him in Madhya Pradesh during the 1980 general elections. Singh was speaking
at a book-release function of Mohin Kahan Vishram, a compilation by Kanhaiyalal
Nanda of articles and interviews of the Minister. President Pratibha Patil,
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee were
also present at the book-release function.
Singh, known for making powerful speeches
dotted with double entendres, heaped a lot of praise on Indira Gandhi and
Sanjay. He, however, did not mention former PM Rajiv Gandhi even once or pay
the usual "sycophantic" tribute to Sonia and heir apparent Rahul
-- a practice common to all Congressmen. Singh said: "The Nehru-Gandhi
family has a great capacity to identify who is a loyalist and who is only
a pretender."
Meanwhile, Singh's remarks that decision-making
in the Congress has "fallen into a bit of disarray" were rejected
by the party on Friday. All India Congress Committee (AICC) spokesman Shakeel
Ahmed said: "We do not agree with it (his remarks). Congress president
Sonia Gandhi has always been fair and transparent in holding consultations."
He said that consultations were held at every level in the party before taking
decisions and the party president also held discussions with the UPA allies.
"Singh is also a member of the Congress
Working Committee, in which party leaders can raise whatever issue they want
to and can have a free and frank discussion," Ahmed added.
Maintaining that the Congress had always had
a tradition of holding discussions within the party, he denied suggestions
that the leadership had any lack of communication or trust deficit with any
leader. To a question that CWC meetings were generally being held for obituary
references, Ahmed claimed that there were regular meetings of the apex policy-making
body of the party.