What an agony was it for a leader of the largest political party! A great amount of pressure, a great amount of influence had been made by small parties, maybe a 12-Member party. It is they who are deciding the future of India. I would like to know whether it is a healthy trend.

AN HON. MEMBER: So what?

SHRI PURNO A. SANGMA : It has not happened with him only. It can happen with us also. I am only trying to analyse the political trend that is emerging in this country and all the political parties will have to examine as to why this is happening. Why the people are not able to give a clear mandate? I think we are losing credibility.

An elderly man came to see me. He told me a very interesting thing. He said that during his days, politicians used to go to the party headquarters to seek tickets but today instead of individuals going to the party headquarters, the political parties are running after the individuals for making them accept their party tickets! He asked, where our country was going. He said that during his time people used to go to the party High Command and ask them to give ticket from a particular constituency. On being asked by the High Command as to why he wanted ticket from a particular constituency, he used to say that he knew the people of that particular constituency and hence had every chance of winning the election. He said, today a politician goes to the party headquarters and ask them not to give him ticket from a particular constituency because people there know him. He requests the party high command to give him a ticket from a constituency where people have not seen him and do not know him. I think we are losing our credibility.

We had the Special Session of Parliament here wherein we did discuss about all these things. We did resolve ourselves about criminalisation of politics, about nexus between politicians and criminals, about corruption, about probity in public life, and I do not want to go into all that. We are talking about stability today. But I am not satisfied with stability alone. We can have stable Governments, we have had stable Governments. In my State Meghalaya, we have a stable Government because in the sixty-Member House we have 28 Ministers, one Speaker and one Deputy-Speaker - 30 members in total. How will the Government fall? It is going to be a stable Government.

SHRI SOMNATH CHATTERJEE (BOLPUR): There are 93 Ministers in Uttar Pradesh.

SHRI PURNO A. SANGMA : My neighbouring State Arunachal Pradesh has a sixty-Member House and there are 35 Ministers, one Speaker and one Deputy-Speaker - 37 members in total. It will have a stable Government. It is going to be a stable Government. Somnath Da has already referred to Uttar Pradesh. With 95 Ministers, it is going to be a stable Government there. But, is it enough for our country to have a stable Government if that Government does not govern? I think, the important thing today is not merely stability. It is good governance which is the issue today. I am not worried about the stability of Shri Vajpayee's Government. I am only worried about the governance of this Eighteen-Party Government. How are they going to govern? How are they going to govern with their pre-poll manifestos of respective allies, with their post-poll National Agenda for Governance and with their unstated post-poll packages based on understandings? Dr. Joshi has denied that there is a hidden agenda. I am coming to their hidden agenda because we know it. I really do not want to take much time of the House. I will quickly go into it.

Dr. Joshi has denied that there is a hidden agenda. But I have a suspicion -- I may be excused for that -- that they, perhaps, have a hidden agenda within their National Agenda. If it is not so, the Prime Minister can deny it. I am only talking about my personal suspicion. In para 29 of their National Agenda, which speaks about `genuine secularism', they speak about a `just civil order'. I do not know what the meaning of this `just civil order' is. To me, it sounds like a common civil code. In para 17 of their National Agenda, they speak about creation of a `national reconstruction corps' under the chapter, `Harnessing Yuva Shakti'. I really do not understand what the meaning of this `national reconstruction corps' is. To me, it sounds like RSS, to be introduced in every school of India. That is the programme. Please excuse me, if I am wrong. I will be very happy, if I am wrong.

KUMARI UMA BHARATI: Yes, you are wrong.

SHRI PURNO A. SANGMA : I am also not able to understand the reference in para 4 under the chapter `Economy' to `respect of cow and its progeny'.

What is that? What is the meaning of it? I only want to know whether there is a hidden agenda. Outside the House, whether you deny it or not, the country knows. What understanding they have with Kumari Mamata Banerjee or Kumari Jayalalitha, that need not be said. I am not going into that.

The National Agenda promises - I will not take much time - food for all, water for all, health for all, housing for all, education for all and employment for all. What is the timeframe? It is five years. In five years, they promise food for all, water for all, health for all, housing for all, education for all and employment for all. Everything is promised, for everybody it is promised. What a Utopian document it is! My question is, Mr. Prime Minister, how are you going to achieve these objectives? Where are the resources for that? If you do not have the resources, how is your Government going to mobilise those resources to achieve everything for everybody? No Government confident of running the Government for five years can promise such a thing. It is only a Government which is not confident of running the Government for five years, that Government alone can make such a promise.

Since I am not able to cover all the points, I want to come to a very important subject, that is, education. Sir, I have personally been advocating for many years that a solution to most of our problems lies in education, whether you talk of population control or anything.

Take poverty eradication alone. Therefore, I have been advocating on the floor of this House that as against 3.9 per cent of the GDP that has been earmarked for education, it should be made a minimum of ten per cent. That has been my personal remark.

Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao took a decision that from the Ninth Plan onwards at least six per cent of the GDP shall be earmarked for education. I was very happy with that.

Shri Vajpayee, I do not know. Your National Agenda promises to gradually reach the level of six per cent. What is the meaning of this gradually reaching six per cent mark? I had an impression that six per cent of the GDP has already been earmarked in the Ninth Five Year Plan. It has already been proposed in the Ninth Five Year Plan. That was my understanding. But, now, your Government says that you promise to gradually reach the level of six per cent. May I appeal, once again, that you may not talk about gradually achieving that. Earmark six per cent of the GDP in the Ninth Five Year Plan for education and that alone will solve most of our problems.

The National Water Policy, of course, Dr. Joshi has denied that, but to me it appears that the National Water Policy is a cover for the AIADMK's claim for Cauvery and Periyar water.

18.00 hrs.

That is how I feel it. You may deny it. I wish you well in that. I wish you success in solving this problem. But having known the South Indian water, which is as mighty and as sacred as the Ganga, I am only afraid that the Cauvery and the Periyar water issues may wash away your Government, probably it is submerged! ...(Interruptions)

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI RAM NAIK): Mr. Speaker, Sir, now it is six o'clock. The time of the House will have to be extended. ...(Interruptions)