Govt not keen to oblige on RS session

NEW DELHI, JUNE 29: The Congress today stepped up pressure on the Vajpayee Government for the summoning of a special session of the Rajya...

NEW DELHI, JUNE 29: The Congress today stepped up pressure on the Vajpayee Government for the summoning of a special session of the Rajya Sabha to discuss the Kargil situation, saying that a debate will not affect the morale of the soldiers.

But the Government did not seem in any mood to concede to the demand but announced after a Cabinet meeting that it had convened a meeting of Chief Ministers on July 7 to discuss Kargil.

8220;In a democracy, debate is basic. It is not unpatriotic to raise the questions we have raised at yesterday8217;s all-party meeting,8221; Congress leader Natwar Singh told reporters this evening.

While welcoming the Government8217;s move to call an all-party meeting, the party said this could not be a substitute for a special session of the Rajya Sabha. This point was made clear at yesterday8217;s all-party meeting, Singh said.

Making seven specific points at the meeting, it said that authoritative information of the present military situation in Mushkoh Valley, Drass, Kaksar and Batalik sections, the extent to which our armed forces had been able to achieve their objectives and the Government8217;s assessment of the unfinished task should be made available.

Referring to the conflicting statements by Government spokesmen on the likely duration of the conflict and on the necessity of crossing the LoC, the Congress said that it was essential that the Government spoke with greater consistency and clarity.

About the serious lapse in border surveillance, it said that the country had to be assured that the Government was taking effective measures to plug the loopholes. 8220;We will raise all these questions when the Rajya Sabha session is convened,8221; Singh said.

Story continues below this ad

Even as the Congress stepped up its demand for a session of the Upper House, the BJP did not fail to try and score its own points with its rival. The BJP today said Congress President Sonia Gandhi did not have a reasonable explanation for skipping the all-party meeting yesterday.

When BJP chief Kushabhau Thakre could abandon his scheduled visit to Jaipur, there was no reason why his Congress counterpart could not do the same, BJP spokesman K L Sharma said.

Sonia Gandhi was the one who was seeking information on Kargil. The best platform for her to get information and give any valuable suggestions was the meeting. But she chose not to attend it. Demanding information on the one hand and not availing given opportunities on the other cannot go together, he asserted.