Arjun Singh says he has no differences with PM

HRD Minister Arjun Singh dismissed suggestions that he has differences with Manmohan Singh on the issue of reservation to OBCs.

HRD Minister Arjun Singh on Thursday dismissed suggestions that he has differences with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue of reservation to OBCs in elite educational institutions and chose to ignore the criticism by his cabinet colleague Kapil Sibal.

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"Absolutely not. No comma, full stop this way or that way", he told reporters when asked whether he had some differences with the Prime Minister on the issue.

To a question whether some of his cabinet colleagues wanted to carry out the 'battle' in public, he said "if somebody wants to have the battle in open. I do not want to".

Replying to queries on Sibal's comments on the issue and whether he would have a word of advice, Singh said, "I cannot advise people who do not want to listen, when you are (media) are not listening".

Refusing to take questions on the reservation issue, he said that the media has twisted his statement and all this controversy came out of that.

"Now therefore I have decided not to comment till elections are over. I will not say a word about it in public".

In a criticism of moves to reserve jobs in private sector and seats in elite education institutions, Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal had said in Hanover on Wednesday the government should not make any law that harms Indian industry's global competitiveness.