Khurana won8217;t call it quits just yet

NEW DELHI, FEB 24: In a move to embarrass the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government at the Centre, former Parliamentary Affairs minister ...

NEW DELHI, FEB 24: In a move to embarrass the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government at the Centre, former Parliamentary Affairs minister Madan Lal Khurana has moved a notice under Rule 199 of the Rules and Procedures for the Conduct of Business seeking to make a statement on the circumstances in which he resigned from the Union Cabinet.

Sources in the Lok Sabha Secretariat admitted they had received the notice, moved under Rule 199 this afternoon but said, at the same time, that no decision had been taken as yet on its fate.

Khurana had quit the Union Cabinet on January 30, arguing that he felt suffocated because of the recent attacks on minorities and also because of the sustained campaign launched against the Vajpayee Government by a section of the Sangh Parivar.

In a related development, four BJP MPs from Bihar 8212; Madan Jaisawal, Dhirendra Aggarwal, Lalmuni Choubey all members of the Lok Sabha and Janardan Yadav Rajya Sabha8211; met Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee yesterday and urged him toreconsider his decision to drop Khurana from the Union Cabinet.

Alongwith Kutch MP P S Gadhavi, Jaisawal, Choubey and Yadav had on February 10 written a letter to Vajpayee accusing the BJP of 8220;mishandling8221; the Khurana episode. They had also stated that they agreed with the issues raised by the former Parliamentary Affairs minister in his resignation letter.

Vajpayee summoned the four MPs yesterday. But Gadhavi8217;s absence was made up by the presence of Chatra MP Dhirendra Aggarwal. In their meeting, they told the Prime Minister that Khurana had felt 8220;hurt and humiliated8221; by the statements made in the aftermath of his resignation by certain party leaders.They also sought to warn him that the former Union Minister was probably going to make a statement in Parliament which would have far-reaching implications for the party, and urged the PM to invite Khurana for talks.