Committee to 'revive national outlook' mooted

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 20. The former Prime Minister, Mr. Chandra Shekhar, the Janata Party president, Dr. Subramanian Swamy, and other leaders joined hands today to explore the possibility of coming together on a common platform and focus on national issues. Assembling at the residence of Mr. Chandra Shekhar over lunch, the leaders decided to form a committee to identify and outline steps for ``reviving national outlook'' in politics and carve a distinct political stream.

Besides Dr. Swamy, the committee, consisting of the Nationalist Congress Party general secretary, Mr. P. A. Sangma, the former Congress general secretary, Ms. Meira Kumar, Syed Shahbuddin, convener, Babri Masjid Movement Coordination Committee, and Mr. Om Prakash Srivastava of the Samajwadi Janata Party will identify issues, on which the leaders share a similar opinion, and explore the possibility of an institutional arrangement.

Briefing correspondents after the two-hour session, Dr. Swamy said the rapidity with which the Indian polity had been fragmented and had rendered national issues irrelevant, was causing concern among the leaders. While the issue of forming an alternative front was not discussed, the ``exploratory talks'' could head in that direction.

All the participants had opposed the BJP but there was no clarity on opposition to the Congress.

The possibility of aligning with the People's Front was ruled out. Mr. Prem Singh Chandumajra, general secretary, Sarv Hind Shiromani Akali Dal of Mr. Gurcharan Sigh Tohra, held the Congress and the BJP equally responsible for the current situation in the country.

He blamed the former for not performing the role of an effective opposition and charged that on many issues, especially economic reforms, the BJP and the Congress were on the same side.

Others present included the former Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr. Chhabildas Mehta, Mr. Rasheed Masood, formerly of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, Mr. Surinder Singh of the Haryana Vikas Party, and Mr. D. P. Yadav of the Jantantrik Bahujan Samaj Party.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : 'U.S. should not take any hasty action'
Next     : SC pulls up Madras HC for delay in pronouncing
           order