NORMALCY WILL BE RESTORED IN GUJARAT AT ALL COSTS - SAYS ADVANI
The
Home Minister, Shri L.K. Advani today assured the Parliamentary
Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry that Government
will do everything necessary to restore normalcy in Gujarat. He
said even if there had been no resolution in the Rajya Sabha on
the Gujarat issue Article 355 casts upon the Central Government
a Constitutional duty to protect a State in times of internal
strife or external threat. The Rajya Sabha Resolution has only
made the Government more conscious about this obligation.
Sharing
the concern expressed by Members on the continuing violence in
the State, Shri L.K. Advani said that there are reliable reports
(including intercepts) that speak of underworld elements being
in touch with their mentors in Pakistan regarding retaliatory
actions in Gujarat and even parts of Maharashtra. Help from across
the border, he said, is being sought for supply of arms, ammunition
and explosives for undertaking such acts of violence. Pak-based
leaders of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and elements of gangs of Dawood Ibrahim
and late Abdul Latif are, in particular, involved in such conspiracies.
On
the appointment of Mr. K.P.S. Gill as Security Advisor to Gujarat
Chief Minister, the Home Minister said it is the State Government
which has taken the decision but in consultation with the Centre.
Shri Advani said the Cabinet Secretariat is also monitoring the
situation with regard to relief and rehabilitation of riot victims.
In reply
to concern expressed by some Members about winding up of some
relief camps in the troubled State, the Home Minister said the
State Government has not taken any such decision. He pointed out
that this issue of Relief Camps had been agitated before the Gujarat
High Court recently. On May 3, 2002 the High Court pronouncing
decision had observed that "in view of the positive stand of the
State Government regarding the camps, it is not in dispute that
the existing camps in question are not going to be discontinued
up to 30th June, 2002. At this stage no further interim
order regarding continuation of the camps after 31st
May, 2002 is required to be granted in view of the positive statement
given by the learned Additional Advocate General".
The Hon’ble
High Court has also taken into account the steps taken by the
State Government for management of the camps and has appreciated
the same. Among other things the Court has said "Before parting
with this order, it must be said that since the state has already
appointed Mr. S.M.F. Bukhari, a retired I.A.S. Officer, as Chief
Coordinator for looking after the relief and rehabilitation facility
at various camps and considering the fact that the State has also
increased at least to some extent the cash assistance from Rs.5/-
per day per person to Rs.7/-, the Court is of the opinion that
the State has also taken care to some extent in trying to sort
out the problem, which is ventilated by the petitioners in this
petition, and the said gesture on the part of the State is required
to be appreciated. The efforts put in by the State Government
in this behalf, as indicated above, are required to be appreciated".
Participating
in the meeting Members cutting across party lines expressed concern
on the continuing violence in Gujarat and the plight of the people
staying in makeshift camps in this grueling summer. Some Members
even wanted the Central Government to monitor the relief announced
by the Prime Minister. They also hailed the Government for the
Rs. 150 crore package for the Gujarat victims as announced by
the Prime Minister.
The Rajiv
Gandhi assassination case and the Constitution of the Multi Disciplinary
Monitoring Agency (MDMA) was the other item for discussion in
the Consultative Committee held today. In reply to the precise
status of the inquiry asked by Shri Arjun Singh, the Home Minister
said even after the Jain Commission’s enquiry into the Rajiv Gandhi
assassination case some doubts remained unanswered and therefore
the Government constituted the MDMA. The term of the monitoring
agency was to expire on the 31st of May, 2002 but the
Government has agreed to extend for one more year. The MDMA have
been submitting progress reports periodically to the Designated
Court at Chennai and will submit its final report to the Government
after getting the permission from the said court.
Those
who attended the Meeting today are S/Shri Ananda Mohan Biswas;
Jagdambi Prasad Yadav; Madan Lal Khuran; Somnath Chatterjee; Ali
Mohd. Naik; Rajkumar Wangcha; Joyanta Rongpi; Avtar Singh Bhadana;
Anandi Charan Sahu; and Pawan Kumar Bansal all from the Lok Sabha
and S/Shri Ram Gopal yadav, S. Viduthalai Virumbi; Narendra Mohan,
Ghulam Nabi Azad; Suresh Pachouri; Shankar Roy Chowdhury; Arjun
Singh; Mirza Abdul Rashid; Balbir K. Punj; and V. Maitreyan all
from the Rajya Sabha. The Ministers of State Shri Ch. Vidyasagar
Rao and Shri I.D. Swami also attended the Meeting.
