Friday, April 22 2005 15:44 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Veteran Communist Party Of India Marxist (CPM) leader Jyoti Basu today (Apr 22, 2005) opposed Railway Minister Laloo Prasad's demand for the dismissal of the Narendra Modi Government in Gujarat and said that it should never be done.

When asked by reporters whether the Centre should dismiss the Modi Government, as demanded by Laloo Prasad, Basu said, ''No, it should never be done''.

The nonagenarian leader also said that he was not aware whether the CPM politburo has taken any stand on the issue.

Laloo had demanded the dismissal of the Gujarat Government, accusing the State's Chief Minister Narendra Modi of orchestrating yesterday's (Apr 21, 2005) attack on his car in Vadodara, where the Railway Minister had gone to a hospital to meet those injured in the train accident at Samlaya.

Turning to the Centre's delay in tabling the Phukan Commission report on Defence purchases, Basu said that the report should be made public as soon as possible.

''The Government should take steps so that this man (former Defence Minister George Fernandes) is not let off,'' he said.

PTI