PM presses Gujral doctrine into service

NEW DELHI, May 25: Sending a signal that the Government wants to build bridges with the Opposition on crucial policy matters, Prime Minister...

NEW DELHI, May 25: Sending a signal that the Government wants to build bridges with the Opposition on crucial policy matters, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has personally intervened to have his predecessor I K Gujral appointed as the chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Vajpayee, sources said, rang up Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Madan Lal Khurana on Saturday with this request. The chairmanship of this committee was allotted to the BJP in view of its strength in the Lok Sabha. But the Prime Minister has opted for Gujral, one of the six Janata Dal members in the Lok Sabha.

There are altogether 17 standing committees. While Lok Sabha members can be appointed as chairpersons of 11 of these committees, the rest have been left for Rajya Sabha members.

The BJP, owing to its strength, has cornered the chairmanship of six of the standing committees falling in the Lok Sabha pool. These include, besides the one attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Labour, Railways,Agriculture and Rural and Urban Development.

The names will be forwarded to Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi tomorrow for his approval.

The move to appoint Gujral comes at a time when there is criticism in some quarters over the aggressive posturing by a section of the leadership after the Pokharan blasts. It was Gujral who last week wrote a letter to Vajpayee asking him to ensure that Ministers exercise restraint. Gujral has also publicly called for caution and maturity in dealing with the fallout of the blasts.

By having Gujral on the committee, therefore, the Government hopes to check criticism and send a message to Islamabad and Beijing that it is serious in its attempts to repair whatever damage the tests may have caused to bilateral relations.

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Meanwhile, the BJP has accepted members of its allies as chairpersons of three committees. While Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has expressed her keenness to head the committee on Railways, the TDP, whose support is crucial to the BJP-ledgovernment, has been allowed to head the committee attached to the Agriculture Ministry. Sources said the name of former Union Minister K Yerrannaidu has been recommended for the job.The Congress has grabbed the chairmanship of four standing committees Finance, Food and Civil Supplies, Petroleum and Energy. The party has reportedly forwarded the name of South Mumbai MP Murli Deora to head the committee on Finance. The names will be forwarded to Lok Sabha SpeakerBalayogi tomorrow.