Pawar accuses PM of buckling under pressure

NEW DELHI, Aug 15: Opposition parties today criticised the secretary-level reshuffle carried out last night and alleged it was done by the BJP-led coalition government for the sake of its survival.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sharad Pawar said such a “trading” had never been witnessed in politics so far. “It is only for the sake of clinging to power,” he told reporters. When asked to comment on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s remarks that he would not stoop to any pressure from the coalition partners, Pawar said “it is nice to say but difficult to practice.”

Samajwadi leader Mulayam Singh Yadav was also critical of the transfers and said it will be better to approach those who are carrying out the reshuffle under pressure from the allies for comments.