12-12-2006, 01:58 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Nothing wrong, says Montek </b>
Pioneer.com
Santanu Banerjee | New Delhi
Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Aluwhalia on Monday defended Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's "Muslim first" statement, deepening the confusion about the stand of the Government on the controversial issue.
<b>"There is nothing wrong with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's emphasis on Muslims' claim to resources first," Ahluwalia said, indicating that the planning process is set to reorient its agenda on UPA's political line.</b>
Batting for the PM, Ahluwalia said, "Let us not try to put the outcome of Sachar Committee Report "under the carpet". Incidentally, the PM is the chairman of the Planning Commission.
While the remarks from Ahluwalia, who has so far refrained from joining political controversies, gave a clear indication that planning process is set to reorient its agenda on UPA's political line, the attitude of the ruling Congress establishment on Monday also betrayed a distinct shift from the previous explanatory mode to an affirmative mode.
A day after the Prime Minister's Office clarification that the Prime Minister's "first claim on resources" dictum did not refer to the Muslims alone as projected by the BJP, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi on Monday asserted, "The Prime Minister will never, never make any apology within or outside Parliament."
............
Observers believe that there are enough indications to suggest that the Prime Minister's emphasis on Muslim minority would finally set the agenda to politicise the planning process on Congress' minority line. This despite the Planning Commission being a non-political body.
Speaking to The Pioneer, a former Planning Commission member said: ``While the planning had never worked on religious lines, but given the Prime Minister's emphasis, it is set to cloud the agenda for the panel.''
When asked that if the Planning Commission has already started working on this line, Aluwalia indicated that maybe a sub-committee for the welfare for the minorities could be decided upon at a later stage.
....
As, for example, the Planning Commission in its final approach paper did talk about ``poor Muslims, who have fallen far behind the national average in all aspects.'' But in his NDC speech, the PM did not clarify whether he was talking about poor Muslims or Muslim community as a whole.
Â
However, <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Ahluwalia made it clear that there should not be any objection if there is a little bit of politicisation of Plan process. "Every economic agenda without a political agenda isn't worth discussing," he said, adding, "Because we aren't discussing things in a university. </span>Â <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
UPA is adopting british colonial policy, that what British did during during oppresive occupation of India, Muslims were pampered and given cozy job, gave them Pakistan as a gift, Hindus were given second or third rug job or they stick to business.
What is UPA plan? anybody guess?
Pioneer.com
Santanu Banerjee | New Delhi
Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Aluwhalia on Monday defended Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's "Muslim first" statement, deepening the confusion about the stand of the Government on the controversial issue.
<b>"There is nothing wrong with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's emphasis on Muslims' claim to resources first," Ahluwalia said, indicating that the planning process is set to reorient its agenda on UPA's political line.</b>
Batting for the PM, Ahluwalia said, "Let us not try to put the outcome of Sachar Committee Report "under the carpet". Incidentally, the PM is the chairman of the Planning Commission.
While the remarks from Ahluwalia, who has so far refrained from joining political controversies, gave a clear indication that planning process is set to reorient its agenda on UPA's political line, the attitude of the ruling Congress establishment on Monday also betrayed a distinct shift from the previous explanatory mode to an affirmative mode.
A day after the Prime Minister's Office clarification that the Prime Minister's "first claim on resources" dictum did not refer to the Muslims alone as projected by the BJP, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi on Monday asserted, "The Prime Minister will never, never make any apology within or outside Parliament."
............
Observers believe that there are enough indications to suggest that the Prime Minister's emphasis on Muslim minority would finally set the agenda to politicise the planning process on Congress' minority line. This despite the Planning Commission being a non-political body.
Speaking to The Pioneer, a former Planning Commission member said: ``While the planning had never worked on religious lines, but given the Prime Minister's emphasis, it is set to cloud the agenda for the panel.''
When asked that if the Planning Commission has already started working on this line, Aluwalia indicated that maybe a sub-committee for the welfare for the minorities could be decided upon at a later stage.
....
As, for example, the Planning Commission in its final approach paper did talk about ``poor Muslims, who have fallen far behind the national average in all aspects.'' But in his NDC speech, the PM did not clarify whether he was talking about poor Muslims or Muslim community as a whole.
Â
However, <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Ahluwalia made it clear that there should not be any objection if there is a little bit of politicisation of Plan process. "Every economic agenda without a political agenda isn't worth discussing," he said, adding, "Because we aren't discussing things in a university. </span>Â <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
UPA is adopting british colonial policy, that what British did during during oppresive occupation of India, Muslims were pampered and given cozy job, gave them Pakistan as a gift, Hindus were given second or third rug job or they stick to business.
What is UPA plan? anybody guess?