New Delhi, Oct 01: Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi today resumed office after a break of 12 days when he resigned in the wake of the Rae Bareli court order and made light of the Congress threat to boycott him in Parliament.
Attending his Shastri Bhavan office after Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee rejected his resignation yesterday, Joshi said, "Congress has a boycott tradition and it knows nothing except boycotting. Sometimes it boycotts Vice President or creates commotion in Parliament. They have no other issue."
He was asked for his response on the Congress threat to boycott him in Parliament on the pattern of Defence Minister George Fernandes.
Joshi, who would be embarking on a trip to Paris tomorrow to attend Unesco General Assembly, declined to answer the course he would be taking in the Babri Masjid demolition case except saying that it was the job of his lawyers. He said he would be fighting a legal battle on the issue.
Asked whether his resignation had dented the party's image, he shot back saying it was an exaggeration by the media (on the reported differences among senior leaders). "You write something and ask for clarification the next day," he said. "File andolan" was his cryptic response, an apparent reference to the need for clearing a huge backlog of files, when asked what would be his next "andolan".
Bouquets were presented and sweets distributed as Joshi sat with his Deputy Vallabh Bhai Kathiria and other senior officers for a review meeting.
Bureau Report