Published: Wednesday, Nov 24, 2010, 2:50 IST
By Harish Gupta | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_manmohan-singh-pats-ousted-raja-s-back-bjp-cries-foul_1471195
After ruffling the feathers of ally DMK by making former telecom minister A Raja resign over the 2G spectrum allocation scam, prime minister (PM) Manmohan Singh seems to be in a hurry to mend fences with the party.
Singh went to the extent of patting Raja on his back at a function in the DMK’s office in Parliament on Tuesday, eliciting disapproval from the BJP and some bafflement in the Congress.
The PM’s move on Raja, considered hasty in a section of the UPA, has irked some of the allies, including the Trinamool Congress, besides the DMK. There is a feeling in these parties that the Congress is “untrustworthy”. On Monday, both had embarrassed the Congress by supporting the opposition’s demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the 2G scam at an all-party meet.
Taking the hint, the PM is walking the extra mile to build bridges with them. While some in the Congress were surprised at his friendly gesture towards Raja, who had dragged the PMO into the whole controversy, the BJP said it sends a wrong signal when the Supreme Court is hearing the scam.
“At such a time, the PM patting Raja’s back at a public event would appear like a message in itself to the people and does not look good,” said the BJP.
The Congress rebutted it, saying, “Personal relationships and emotions do not work on switch-off, switch-on mode. Raja has worked under the PM for six years. I do not think, he (PM) has done anything wrong,” party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed told reporters.
With PTI inputs
