Cong planning religion-based quota: Arjun
Sudhir Kumar Mishra
The Observer
June 29, 1999
Title: Cong planning religion-based quota: Arjun
Author: Sudhir Kumar Mishra
Publication: The Observer
Date: June 29, 1999
The Congress unit in Bihar is trying to woo, the Muslim electorates
back into its fold, if Congress Working Committee member Arjun Singh's
Saturday's statement is any indications.
Mr Singh said that the Congress was carefully considering to provide
religion-based reservations, adding that this move should not be
equated with the communal representation introduced through Indian
Council Act, 1909.
On the Kargil issue, he said that the Congress had been extremely
cautious in criticising the BJP-led Government on the issue and
obliquely taking a snipe at the BJP claim that S P Mukherjee was the
first martyr on the Kashmir cause, he alleged the BJP was provoking
the Congress to spit venom on it.
Commenting on the political turmoil in Haryana, he said that the
Congress had not put any conditions before Chief Minister Bansi Lai,
as there was no plan to form a Congress-led government in the state,
and that it was up to the Haryana Vikas Party to decide whether it
should merge with the Congress.
On the reported statements by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that
he would convene a special Rajya Sabha session, he said that it should
be called at the earliest and that the Government ought to answer all
questions related to the issue.
On the almost-certain poll alliance with the ruling RJD in Bihar, the
CWC member said that a formal decision on this was yet to be taken by
the CMC.
When pointed out that a majority of Congressmen in the state were
bitterly opposed to any alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal, he
said that the CMC would take a suitable decision in the larger
interests of the party and its Bihar unit.
It may be mentioned that the Congress had already paid very heavy
price for joining hands with Mr Laloo.
The upper castes who had recently moved towards the party have already
started moving away form it, especially after the Congress opposition
to the Central rule in the state.
It can be recalled that senior Congress leaders, who were deputed by
the Congress highcommand to take stock of the situation in Senari
after the massacre of 34 upper villagers, were forced to return
without seeing the very even.
Its desperate need for the Muslim votes is one competing reason why
the party wants the support of the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal.
But, regaining the confidence of the upper caste will be a near
impossibility, so long as Congress remains under shadow of Mr Laloo,
according to political observers.
The Congress managed only five seats in the 12th House with the help
of the RJD.
But it had only one MP in the 10 Lok Sabha and two in the 11th LS.
But the moot question is on the modalities of seat-sharing that Mr
Laloo may finally like to give to the Congress.
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