RAIPUR, 1 May 2005 — Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said yesterday that an improvement in relations with China and Pakistan during the 11-month tenure of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has strengthened the security environment in Asia at a Congress meeting that was disrupted by former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi’s supporters.
Manmohan’s speech was interrupted by Jogi’s supporters, who created a stir at the meeting by staging protests. Jogi’s supporters were protesting their leader’s exclusion from the prime minister’s state tour.
Manmohan told a convention of Congress workers here that ties with China and Pakistan had received a fillip. While Pakistan now appreciated India’s “concerns on terrorism”, China had shown interest in resolving the border dispute.
“India and China have agreed on an 11-point basic principles to boost bilateral relations and solve the boundary dispute amicably. Pakistan too has shared our concern on terrorism,” the prime minister said.
He was referring to the visits of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao earlier this month.
“Japan too has given broad indications yesterday of contributing $5 billion in India, mainly in the railways. It shows our growing relationship with major Asian countries,” Manmohan said.
He told party workers that the UPA government was committed to alleviating poverty and creating jobs in rural areas.
“To improve health facilities in the rural belt, the government would soon launch a national rural health care program under which there would be area-wise assessment of the health situation,” the prime minister said.
Earlier in the day, Jogi — who was involved in a serious accident last year — reached the Raipur airport on his wheelchair to join the prime minister for a tribal convention in Bhoramdev 125 km from here, in Kawardha district. But Jogi was shocked to find that Congress leaders Motilal Vora and Margaret Alva would be going with Manmohan and not him.
As soon as Manmohan reached the dais, Jogi loyalists shouted “Jogi jindabad” slogans at Rang Mandir, the convention venue.
Jogi then turned down repeated pleas by All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary and Chhattisgarh in-charge Alva to join the prime minister on the podium and remained seated in his wheelchair in the workers’ gallery.
As soon as Manmohan began his speech, Jogi’s supporters started shouting slogans lauding their mentor until Alva threatened disciplinary action against them.
Alva requested Jogi: “Please don’t do this. The prime minister is here, please come on the dais. I want discipline, I will not tolerate such behavior.”
Jogi also rejected Alva’s request to address the party workers.
“Because of such indiscipline and rough behavior, the Congress is facing the worst (time) in Chhattisgarh,” Alva told the agitating party members.
Manmohan was a mute spectator to the chaos and during his 20-minute speech advised party workers to show “discipline and unity” as only these two factors can save the Congress.
Soon after the function concluded, loyalists of AICC treasurer Motilal Vora, who also heads the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), met Alva and described Jogi’s supporters’ act as “extreme’ and sought his suspension.
However, a source who had intervened in the earlier heated discussion between Vora and Jogi told IANS: “He (Jogi) had reason to lodge a protest as his name had been dropped at the last minute, all because of his arch-rival Vora,”
Upset at his exclusion, Jogi could barely control his temper at the airport here. In the presence of the prime minister, Jogi strongly objected to the manner in which his name had been omitted from the list of select politicians who would share the dais with prime minister.
“Jogi told Vora that such things would not be tolerated and he would take up the issue with party president Sonia Gandhi,” a Jogi supporter said.
A Vora loyalist had a different version. “Vora informed Jogi in the presence of Manmohan that the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee did not send his name for the tour with the prime minister,” a Vora supporter claimed.
