'PM's address had scope for misinterpretation'

New Delhi, Dec 16: The time and word context of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's controversial address to the National Development Council (NDC) had scope for interpreting that he wanted Muslims to have first claim on resources, according to Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar.

''They (newspapers) were doing (interpreting) it because there was a time context in addition to a word context. The Sachar Committee report (on Muslims) had just come out and it had revealed a very disturbing truth about our society,'' Mr Aiyar said in an interview to Mr Karan Thapar for CNN-IBN's Devil's Advocate programme telecast today.

The Minister made the observation in response to a question that practically every newspaper and several Cabinet ministers, including Mr A R Antulay and Mr Kapil Sibal, had come to the same conclusion that Dr Singh was actually referring to Muslims despite the PMO clarification to the contrary.

A press note issued by Mr Thapar did not refer to the BJP which had disrupted Parliament proceedings in protest against the Prime Minister's remarks.

Mr Aiyar, however, said he fully backed the Prime Minister even if he had meant that Muslims should be given the first go at resources.

''The (PM's) reference, even if it was to Muslims, was to an issue that I think we need to address, that there is a disadvantaged group in the country,'' he said.

The Panchayati Raj Minister said the grammar and language of the PM's address could have been better.

Upon this, Mr Aiyar was asked whether he conceded that the language and the grammar were not as good and clear as they could have been.

''Well, yes,'' he said. He was again asked, ''You concede that?'' ''Oh yes. Yes,'' he nodded.

Mr Thapar persisted with his question: ''The PMO clarification didn't, but you concede it?'' Mr Aiyar responded stating that, ''I'm not the speech writer. I'm not the preparer of the clarificatory statement.'' ''Perhaps the Prime Minister should have the kind of speech writer that Rajiv Gandhi had,'' the Panchayati Raj Minister said in the course of the interview.

Mr Aiyar was the speech writer for Mr Gandhi when he was the Prime Minister.

The Panchayati Raj Minister said Dr Singh had in fact intended to include all the disadvantaged groups.

UNI

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