Congress stops circulation of mouthpiece 'Sandesh'

Congress today found itself in a controversy after it stopped the circulation of the latest issue of its mouthpiece whose editorial questioned the UPA government's decision to send four ministers to the airport to receive yoga guru Ramdev.

"Was it necessary for four ministers to go to airport? It is the government's duty to adopt positive attitude towards the demands of civil societies but this should be done in a manner that the dignity of the elected government and its rights are not violated," the editorial in Congress Sandesh said.

As soon as the matter came to the knowledge of senior leaders, they decided not to circulate the latest issue for the time being and huddled into a meeting with Shastri to take a final call on the issue.

Incidentally, Shastri had in a tweet said on June 4, "Indira Ji or Rajiv Ji would not have sent their ministers to airport to placate a 'Baba' arriving in a private jet."

Asked about his tweet, Shastri had then said "fighting corruption is all right and talking to people in this regard is also fine. But the government's dignity should not be put at stake. It must act without compromising with its dignity."

In another post on microblogging site Twitter the next day, Shastri had slammed police crackdown at Ramlila Grounds saying it was "unfortunate and avoidable" adding it was the decision of the government and not the party.

"What happened last night at Ramlila Grounds in Delhi was unfortunate and avoidable. It is Manmohan Singh govt. Was not a party decision," he had tweeted.

This is perhaps for the first time in the decade old publication of the journal that such a controversy has arisen.

In the editorial, Shastri has also disapproved Anna Hazare's fast for drafting of a stronger Lokpal Bill.

"Any particular group cannot be allowed to take decision on constitutional matters on streets,"it says.

Maintaining that the agitation by Anna Hazare initially attracted the attention of people, the editorial rued that the fact that National Advisory Council chaired by Sonia Gandhi has taken up the issue for consideration and is about to submit its recommendations to the government.

The editorial has urged the need to realise that public tolerance has come down in the current situation and people want immediate steps that can become an example.

The incident once again brings to fore the unease in the party over the handling of the Ramdev issue despite the fact that the government and the Congress are now projecting a picture of unity.

Reports had it that Congress president Sonia Gandhi was not aware of the decision either to send the ministers to the airport or the police action at Ramlila Maidan and that she gave a piece of her mind to some of the ministers involved in the exercise.

The Ramdev controvesy also witnessed a high drama at the AICC headquarters, here on June 6 when a person posing as a journalist tried to attack party general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi with a shoe, apparently miffed over the treatment meted out to Ramdev.

Since then four Congress Seva Dal volunteers have been pressed into service during the media briefings to ensure that nothing untoward happens.