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Union Cabinet rejects Jaya's demands; crucial AIADMK meet today

Parkash Bhargava and B K Sarkarin New Delhi

The Union Cabinet today rejected outright all the three major demands of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham general secretary J Jayalalitha, which she had set as preconditions for continuing her party's support to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government.

Briefing the media after an emergency meeting of the Cabinet that lasted 90 minutes, Information and Broadcasting Minister Pramod Mahajan said the Cabinet has discussed the political situation arising out of the AIADMK demands -- for reinstating the sacked naval chief Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, divesting George Fernandes of the defence portfolio or shifting him to a less important ministry and setting up of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to look into the corruption charges against him.

Mahajan emphasised that the government has a majority in the Lok Sabha and is ready for any 'type of discussion' on the Bhagwat issue.

He said the government would prove its majority on the floor of the House, when it meets on April 15 after a three-week recess.

Replying to a question, he said there was no discussion on the issue of dropping AIADMK ministers from the Cabinet. All the Cabinet ministers were invited for today's meeting, but the lone AIADMK representative in the Cabinet, Thambidurai was not present.

Mahajan said the government had no intention of going in for a confidence motion. However, ''if the Opposition wants to do so, they are free to do that''.

He said the government had already reacted to the AIADMK demands and now it is up to the AIADMK to react to the Cabinet decision.

Mahajan said the government is ''keeping a close watch on the political developments in the country''. But it was not monitoring any political party, he said.

He said the government was confident of its support base and was sure to win any vote of confidence on the floor of the House. ''The outcome of any motion depends on the members' presence in the House on that particular day,'' he added.

Mahajan said there was no question of reinstating the sacked naval chief as well as dropping or shifting the defence minister to a less important portfolio.

Reiterating the government's stand, he said it was not hesitant about having any discussion on the floor of the House. It has already planned a strategy to face the situation in Parliament.

''There is no prima facie case for setting up a JPC probe,'' Mahajan said, adding that the government will consider the issue, if and when the subject comes up for discussion in Parliament.

The government is not communicating with the AIADMK leadership on this issue, he said.

Following the Cabinet decision, Jayalalitha has convened a crucial meeting of party MPs and senior leaders in Madras this evening.

The meeting will be held at the Poes Garden residence of Jayalalitha.

Party sources said Jayalalitha is likely to pull out her two party nominees in the Union ministry -- Law Minister Thambidurai and Minister of State for Finance M R Janardhanam - before withdrawing support to the government.

With the Cabinet rejecting her demands, Jayalalitha has been left with no breathing time to evolve a suitable strategy.

The AIADMK chief had held discussions with Thambidurai last evening.

UNI

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