PM, Cong reprimand Ramesh, BJP demands action against him

New Delhi, May 10 (PTI) Environment Minister of India
Jairam Ramesh was on Monday reprimanded by Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh as well as the Congress for his comments
against the Home Ministry over approach towards Chinese
companies even as Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
demanded action against him.
Strongly disapproving of Ramesh's remarks made in
Beijing two days back, Singh spoke to him soon after his
return this morning and told him that he should not have
commented on functioning of other ministries.
Singh told Ramesh that it was "advisable for Cabinet
colleagues not to make comments on the functioning of other
ministries, especially with regard to relationship with
important neighbours like China," PMO sources said.
The Prime Minister's blunt message to the Environment
Ministry came on his comment in Beijing that the Home Ministry
was "overly defensive" and "alarmist" in its approach towards
entry of Chinese companies in India.
"There is no confusion in our policies towards China and
we continue to strive for constructive engagement with
Beijing," Singh told Ramesh.
The Environment Minister today refused to comment when
referred to the controversy created by his remarks.
Ramesh, while talking in Beijing about the India-China
warmth developed during the Copenhagen Summit on Climate
Change, had suggested that the Home Ministry needed to be
"much more relaxed" in its approach to Chinese investments in
India.
He had said that the security establishment was putting
"needless" restrictions on Chinese investments in India as "we
are imagining demons where there are none".
The Home Ministry also snubbed Ramesh, saying, "It is
wrong to say that the security establishment was biased
against the Chinese companies.
"Chinese companies are already present in India in a big
way. They are working in a variety of sectors, including in
telecommunications sector. I don't think there is any
discrimination happening from the government's side," Home
Secretary G K Pillai said.

Dubbing Ramesh's utterances as "inappropriate", Congress
spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said the party endorses pulling up
of Ramesh by the Prime Minister.
"The Prime Minister and the PMO have already clarified
that it is not appreciated that any minister comments on other
department or ministries, especially when they are on foreign
soil," he said giving the sense of party's feeling over
Ramesh's remarks.
"At the same time, we would like to add that even within
the country, there should be no occasion to air differences
about other ministries," Singhvi said, while reminding the
Environment Minister that "there are enough forums in the
party and the government to express views."
While the government and the Congress did not indicate
whether or not any punitive action would be taken against
Ramesh, BJP said the Minister had lost moral right to continue
and demanded action by the Prime Minister against him.
"The comments of Ramesh in a foreign country which were
critical of the Government are highly objectionable. An
Indian Minister lobbying for Chinese companies notwithstanding
the security threat to the country is unbecoming of a
Minister," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
"Utterances by Ramesh establish that lobbyists also
operate from within the government," Javadekar told reporters.
Emphasising tht the Prime Minister should restrain his
ministers, he said, "We want to ask the Prime Minister as to
what action he is taking (against Ramesh). The Prime Minister
owes an explanation over the internal squabbling within
ministers and take action against him."
When asked whether BJP will seek Ramesh's resignation
for his comments, Javadekar said "definitely, if the PM does
not act (against him)."
He claimed that Ramesh has given the "most bizarre"
explanation for his comments that the ties between India and
China developed post Copenhagen summit will suffer if the
security guidelines on import Chinese telecom equipment are
not revised.
Supporting the restrictions, the BJP spokesman said, "It
is a known fact that Chinese hackers have targetted Indian
websites, therefore, the Home Ministry has rightly issued the
the guidelines."
Javadekar wondered whether the allocation of business
rules were "not binding" on the UPA ministers. PTI AMR
AHM