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Defeat of vote shows `chinks` in Cong combine: Fernandes
Bangalore, Aug 20: Buoyed by the impressive defeat of the no-confidence motion against the Vajpayee government, the National Democratic Alliance today said it had shown `chinks` in the Congress-led formation and made it clear that the NDA was `very firm and well-knit.`
Bangalore, Aug 20: Buoyed by the impressive defeat of the no-confidence motion against the Vajpayee government, the National Democratic Alliance today said it had shown "chinks" in the Congress-led formation and made it clear that the NDA was "very firm and well-knit."
"It has shown chinks... In the sense that there wasn't a common purpose and determination or total unity of whatever their (Congress-led) formation," Defence Minister and NDA convenor George Fernandes told reporters here, a day after the 126-vote defeat of the no-trust motion in Parliament.
Fernandes said yesterday's debate had made it clear that NDA "stood firm" and "there is not even any hiccup which we had to face in the early phase”. “NDA was the platform which was created five years ago through which we went to polls and won," he said, saying that they would fight the next elections also on same platform.
He said, “The Congress is trying to assemble (a combine) but it is not sticking together. I feel that the Congress lacks the kind of resilience that is needed to put up a platform together."
Asked if he thought that the defeat of the no-confidence motion was a "setback to Sonia Gandhi", he shot back, "You may say so if you wish to say so." Asserting that the NDA was "always strong", Fernandes said the vote had helped to show how "well knit NDA is and how it was holding together despite ups and downs."
On some non-Congress parties continuing to boycott him, Fernandes said he had survived the earlier boycott and "I can survive if some others want to continue with it”.
Asked if Congress not boycotting him during the debate on the no-confidence motion in Parliament had given him "confidence", he said, "I never lose confidence. I am an eternal fighter. I will remain one."
To a query, Fernandes admitted that he did try to contact Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa over phone before the trust vote, but added, "I had not called her for any particular issue. She was not available."
On political polarisation before the next elections, he said, "Elections are far away.. Almost a year to go."
He also said that when Vajpayee spoke on elections in his reply in Parliament last night, "that challenge was in the context of the no-confidence motion" to tell the opposition that it could not defeat the government, it could not break the ruling alliance and that it would have to wait till the next polls. Vajpayee's statement did not mean early polls. Bureau Report
Fernandes said yesterday's debate had made it clear that NDA "stood firm" and "there is not even any hiccup which we had to face in the early phase”. “NDA was the platform which was created five years ago through which we went to polls and won," he said, saying that they would fight the next elections also on same platform.
He said, “The Congress is trying to assemble (a combine) but it is not sticking together. I feel that the Congress lacks the kind of resilience that is needed to put up a platform together."
Asked if he thought that the defeat of the no-confidence motion was a "setback to Sonia Gandhi", he shot back, "You may say so if you wish to say so." Asserting that the NDA was "always strong", Fernandes said the vote had helped to show how "well knit NDA is and how it was holding together despite ups and downs."
On some non-Congress parties continuing to boycott him, Fernandes said he had survived the earlier boycott and "I can survive if some others want to continue with it”.
Asked if Congress not boycotting him during the debate on the no-confidence motion in Parliament had given him "confidence", he said, "I never lose confidence. I am an eternal fighter. I will remain one."
To a query, Fernandes admitted that he did try to contact Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa over phone before the trust vote, but added, "I had not called her for any particular issue. She was not available."
On political polarisation before the next elections, he said, "Elections are far away.. Almost a year to go."
He also said that when Vajpayee spoke on elections in his reply in Parliament last night, "that challenge was in the context of the no-confidence motion" to tell the opposition that it could not defeat the government, it could not break the ruling alliance and that it would have to wait till the next polls. Vajpayee's statement did not mean early polls. Bureau Report