India President Blasts Gandhi as Rift Deepens

A simmering feud between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and President Zail Singh erupted in public today with the publication of a critical letter sent by the president to Gandhi.

The letter is the latest and most embarrassing chapter in a deepening feud between Gandhi and Singh, who as the largely ceremonial head of state is supposed to remain divorced from politics.

The letter, published in the daily Indian Express, accuses Gandhi of neglecting his constitutional requirement to brief the president on matters of national importance.

In the lower house of Parliament, the Speaker blocked discussion of the letter, prompting the opposition to walk out in protest.

The Indian Express said the two-page letter was written by Singh to Gandhi on Monday. The newspaper declined to say how it obtained the letter, and there was no comment from the presidential palace on the issue.

In the letter, Singh contradicted the prime minister’s assertions before Parliament on March 3 that he and his ministers “always consulted the president on issues of national importance,” as required by the constitution.

Gandhi was replying to opposition references to a simmering “cold war” between the president and the prime minister that has been the subject of news reports for months.

The letter, which began “My dear Rajiv,” said: “I appreciate the spirit behind your observations. But as you are aware, the factual position is somewhat at variance with what has been stated by you.

“It is also distressing that constitutional provisions regarding furnishing of information to the president have not been consistently followed.

“Before your visit abroad and after your return I have not been briefed, to quote a specific instance after your visit to U.S.A. and a stopover at Moscow.”

The Indian Express said that after receiving the letter, Gandhi sought opinions from senior legal experts.