Pranab to Rao's defence

By Harish Khare

NEW DELHI, OCT. 14. Senior Congress(I) leader, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, has asserted that it is wrong to suggest that the party has distanced itself from Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao in his hour of legal adversity. Arguing that stray, and perhaps poorly formulated, comments from junior spokespersons could create the impression that the party was ditching its former president, Mr. Mukherjee notes that it is difficult for a responsible political party like the Congress(I) to openly criticise a judicial verdict (as opposed to the executive order, for example, under which the Janata Party Government sought to detain Mrs. Indira Gandhi).

As someone who held senior positions in the party and government before, during and after the ``P.V.'' era, Mr. Mukherjee speaks with restraint and responsibility.

He points out that the party's position has to be understood in the light of the AICC(I) reaction on September 29 when Special Judge, Mr. Ajit Bharihoke, first pronounced the verdict on Mr. Rao.

The senior CWC member recalls that the party had suggested that it was unable to appreciate ``the logic of judgment'', and that it had hoped that Mr. Rao would get relief at the time of appeal at higher judicial forums.

What is more, Mr. Mukherjee reminds everyone that it was Mr. Rao who had shown ``exemplary courage and dignity'' when he resigned as party president in 1996.

Asserting that there was no political compulsion on Mr. Rao's part to resign, and that barring four members of the Congress Working Committee (Mr. Sharad Pawar, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mr. Ahmed Patel and Mr. Balram Jakhar), Mr. Rao enjoyed overwhelming majority in the CWC just as he did in the Congress Parliamentary Party and the AICC.

But, recalls Mr. Mukherjee, Mr. Rao had argued that he could not involve the Congress(I) in his problems with the law.

Mr. Mukherjee's formulations appear at variation with the expression - in private - of glee among a large number of senior party leaders over Mr. Rao's discomfort. Initial comments from Mr. Anil Shastri and Mr. Ajit Jogi, two favorite voices of the 10-Janpath establishment, did give the impression that the party leadership was not going to lose sleep if Mr. Narasimha Rao loses his freedom.

A section of the Sonia Gandhi partisans has been downright joyful; it has been happily noted among the Sonia partisans that after his indictment and conviction, Mr. Rao would hardly be able to become the rallying point for the dissidents.

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