SINGH IS KING: UPA WINS TRUST VOTE

KING CONG HERE TO STAY: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Government won the trust vote in Lok Sabha.

    

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In that speech, which he could not make but which he handed over to the Speaker, Manmohan Singh took on two people: Advani and CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat.

Rebutting Advani's criticism that he was a weak Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh said sarcastically, "To fulfil his ambitions, he has made at least three attempts to topple our Government but on each occasion his astrologers have misled him... At his ripe old age, I do not expect Advani to change his thinking. But for his sake, and India's sake, I urge him at least to change his astrologers so that he gets more accurate predictions of things to come."

In the case of Karat, who spearheaded the Left's campaign against the Government, Manmohan Singh said, "Our friends in the Left Front should ponder over the company they are forced to keep because of miscalculations by their General Secretary."

He also accused the Left of putting shackles in the conduct of foreign policy. "They wanted a veto over every single step of negotiations (with the International Atomic Energy Agency) which is not acceptable. They wanted me to behave as their bonded slave."

The Prime Minister also came out strongly in support of the nuclear deal, saying it would promote energy security and end India's nuclear isolation of decades. "Our strategic autonomy," he asserted, "will never be compromised... All that we are committed to is a voluntary moratorium on further testing (of nuclear weapons)."

Like Monday, the final day of the debate on Tuesday was marred by disruptions, forcing an exasperated Speaker to adjourn the House. He said, "Parliament of India has reached the lowest position."

Vajpayee, Dharmendra cast votes from lobby

Ailing BJP patriarch Atal Bihari Vajpayee and three other indisposed party MPs on Tuesday participated in the confidence motion through a special mechanism of voting without entering the Lok Sabha.

The former Prime Minister along with Dharmendra, Mahesh Kumar Kanodia and Harishchandra Deoram Chavan cast their votes from the lobby of Parliament as their health condition did not permit them to enter the Lok Sabha.

BJP had made special request for allowing them to cast their votes from the lobby and Speaker Somnath Chatterjee allowed it.

"In view of their condition, I permit them to cast their votes from the lobby," Chatterjee announced just before the voting.

He wished Vajpayee and others a long life and early recovery from their ailments.

After the voting, the Speaker also allowed them to leave early even though the votes were still being counted through the Division method.

(With agency inputs)