Senior leaders of the Congress Party yesterday maintained silence on the government-Suzuki face off even as most political parties have come out openly supporting the Governments tough stand against Maruti Udyog Ltds foreign partner Suzuki Motor Company.
A party general secretarys TV interview recently had created the impression that the Congress was supporting the Japanese company in the dispute. Though senior party leaders did not confirm his views, they carefully avoided not to contradict him either. The general secretary himself was away from Delhi and his staff was not in a position to give his contact number.
They said they would first like to get a first hand information on what exactly the party leader had said before they spoke on the issue. Only one leader spoke generally on the wider subject of the foriegn investors versus the Swadeshi industry. He said as long as the foreign investor went by the law of the land no finger should be raised against them.
The country had already made certain laws permitting foreign investers to operate within them. The country could not have one kind of laws and another kind of public posturing. He also said that the same Indian industry which was now posing itself as the Swadeshi lobby, had fought hard with the government to bring about liberalisation. This attitude of publicly taking the posture of great liberalisers and in private coming with folded hands for protection will not do, the leader said.
Suzuki has come under attack from most political parties for challenging the government on its choice of RSSLN Bhaskarudu as the managing director of Maruti Udyog Ltd, the 50-50 joint venture between the government of India and Suzuki Motor Company of Japan.
Congress Party president Sitaram Kesri is said to have feigned ignorance of the statement of the party general Secretary. He inquired from a friend what exactly the party leader had said but after hearing the reply he maintained a silence.
Former finance minister Manmohan Singh refused to comment saying he had been abroad and had returned only yesterday. Former Planning Commission deputy chairman Pranab Mukherjee also refused to talk on the subject. Both the leaders held the two important economic positions in the five-year Congress rule under P V Narasimha Rao in 1991-96.
