Arjun Gets Hostile Reception From Pawar Supporters
Senior Congress leader Arjun Singh faced a hostile demonstration by supporters of Sharad Pawar, the partys floor leader in the Lok Sabha, here yesterday but apparently unperturbed, continued his tirade against pawar.
Addressing a press conference which was delayed due to the demonstration, he said Pawar had a lot of explaining to do when he faced the Congress delegates in Mumbai on Sunday.
However, Singh said in the aftermath of the Congress presidential polls on June 9, a split in the party was not on anybodys agenda whether it was Sitaram Kesri for whom he had come to canvass votes, Pawar or Rajesh Pilot the three main contenders for the top post. Police had to barricade the entrance to the three-storeyed Tilak Bhavan, the MPCC headquarters at Dadar in central Mumbai to enable Singh address a press conference, following a noisy demonstration staged on the ground floor by Pawar supporters.
Singh said he was grateful to A R Antulay for admitting that negotiations were started with RSS-BJP and VHP. But the question is why the negotiations were held and what was Pawars role in the exercise carried out behind the back of the CWC and the Union cabinet, he asked.
Pawar should also throw light on why despite occupying an important official position in government (defence minister), he has done precious little to implement the resolution passed at the Tirupati plenary session of the Congress in April 1992 about taking measures to expedite the unmasking of conspirators behind the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi at Sriperumbadur in May 1991, Singh said.
Pawar and Pilot (as then minister of state for internal security), should explain to Congress delegates what they had done for a vigorous follow up on the Vohra Committee report submitted in October 1993, which had indentified a nexus between criminals, politicians and bureaucrats.
Shrugging off shouts of We want Pawar and Pawar Jeetega, he said I am not trying to settle any personal score against any individual, but we are looking at election of the president of the worlds biggest organisation.
Pawar will be living in a fools paradise if he thinks second preference votes would favour him as Kesri will be elected by a big margin on first preference votes, Singh asserted even as some Congress workers shouted pro-Kesri slogans.
On Pawars comment that the Kesri camp was nervous, Singh retorted it is obvious that those who hold demonstrations are the ones who are nervous.