Congress to withdraw ordinance derided by Rahul Gandhi

The Congress has decided to withdraw a contentious ordinance that allows convicted parliamentarians to stay in office, a proposal that was severely and publicly attacked last week by the party's vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

Dr Manmohan Singh will meet the President this afternoon to inform him of his decision.
Earlier today, Mr Gandhi met the Prime Minister and apologized for the timing and language of his scathing censure, sources said.  At a press conference while the PM was abroad in the United States, Mr Gandhi derided the ordinance as "nonsense."

Sources say that while Mr Gandhi clarified that he did not  mean to undermine the authority of the PM or his cabinet, he made it clear that he was firmly opposed to the executive order.

Last evening, the Prime Minister said that it was the timing of Mr Gandhi's review - and not its content - that was a matter of concern. Speaking to reporters on his plane on his way back from New York, he said he would not resign over the controversy. He also stressed that the ordinance had been cleared by senior leaders of the Congress. That group includes Mr Gandhi's mother and party president Sonia Gandhi.

"I have seen Mr Rahul Gandhi's statement. When issues are raised in democratic polity, the right course is to discuss the issues...There is no question of resigning," the PM said, adding that he is "not the master of what people say."