In the meeting of the Union Cabinet, which was presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, there was almost complete unanimity to withdraw its earlier decision on the controversial ordinance aimed at protecting “convicted” legislators.
Sources said that when the proposal was moved by the Prime Minister to withdraw the ordinance, there was complete unanimity, as even ministers belonging to other UPA constituents also agreed to the decision.
However, it is learnt that NCP leader and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar criticised the events leading to the reversal of the Cabinet decision, an apparent reference to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s public outburst. Sources said the NCP leader noted that institutions were being undermined.
Mr Pawar, while coming out of the meeting, told waiting reporters outside the Prime Minister’s official residence that he had expressed his views in the Cabinet.
“Whatever I had to say, I said in the Cabinet. Since I am bound by the oath of secrecy, I can’t reveal the content. Now everything is over, don’t waste your time.”
Another ally, National Conference leader and minister for new and renewable energy Farooq Abdullah, is also understood to have been critical of the way Mr Gandhi condemned the government in public, undermining not just the Prime Minister, but also the whole Cabinet.
The third ally, the RLD, was already on board and had made a public statement even before the Cabinet could meet in the course of day, supporting the Congress core group’s decision of withdrawing the ordinance.
Sources said RLD leader and civil aviation minister Ajit Singh, during the meeting, said he agreed to the Prime Minister’s proposal.