Journalism of Courage
Union Ministers were on Wednesday asked to avoid making out-of-turn public statements on the Ayodhya case verdict, which is expected to be delivered before Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi retires on November 17.
The direction came at a meeting of the Council of Ministers headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The ministers were asked not to make any statement on the verdict. They were also told to be careful and not say anything out of turn,” said a source in the government.
Explained: Issues in Ayodhya title suit
The BJP has issued a code of conduct for its leaders and cadres to avoid provocative statements after the Supreme Court verdict.
Meanwhile, with the ruling BJP all set to play up India’s decision not to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal made a presentation on the subject for the Council of Ministers on Wednesday.
The BJP has maintained that India opted out to protect interests of the farmers and agri-based industries. The industry has argued that some domestic sectors may take a hit due to cheaper alternatives from other participant countries. Although a section of BJP leaders were keen on India joining the agreement, the economic wing of the RSS, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, had opposed it.
BJP sources said the party would be projecting the decision to not join RCEP as the government’s eagerness to protect interests of farmers and indigenous industrial sectors.
Sources said there was also a discussion on observing November 26 as Constitution Day.
