Govt wrong in shielding convicted netas: Rahul

Congress V-P calls ordinance 'nonsense'; clamour to withdraw it grows

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi put the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in collision course with the party after he called an ordinance approved by the Cabinet and meant to protect convicted politicians "nonsense". He said it ought to be "torn up and thrown away".

To make matters worse, he added: "I feel, personally feel, that what our government has done as far as this ordinance is concerned is wrong."

The ordinance, sent to the President for approval, could be withdrawn, said Congress sources.

Gandhi's comments were a slap on the face of the government headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Singh, in the US for a UN summit, tried to repair the damage. He said Gandhi had written to him and had also made a statement, and that he "will deal with the matter" only on his return to India next week "after due deliberations in Cabinet". He was reportedly sleeping when his aides were woken up by the media, seeking reactions to the events in India.

On Tuesday, after consultations with political parties, the Cabinet had cleared an ordinance that would have allowed convicted MPs and MLAs to continue in office if their appeal was admitted by a higher court within 90 days and the conviction stayed. But they would not have been entitled to a vote during House proceedings or draw salaries and allowances until the case was decided. The ordinance was meant to circumvent a Supreme Court order in July that said Article 8(4) of the Representation of People Act was illegal and unconstitutional. But murmurs within the Congress began on Wednesday itself.

Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Milind Deora on Thursday afternoon tweeted about the increasingly endangered public spaces in democracy, no matter what the legality of the ordinance.

Several young MPs from the Congress privately said they were not in agreement with the party's stand. Party General Secretary Digvijaya Singh also argued publicly against the ordinance.

On Thursday, petitions were given to the President by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP, asking him not to sign the ordinance. The President had called two senior ministers - Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Law Minister Kapil Sibal - to consult them on why the ordinance was necessary.

The Congress might have got the distinct impression that the President might just return the ordinance to the Cabinet, which would have been a political embarrassment.

Perhaps to preempt this, Gandhi intervened dramatically, rubbishing the ordinance and demolishing the elaborate arguments of several senior party colleagues like Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting (Independent Charge) Manish Tewari and Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy.