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In a rare honest moment, home minister Indrajit Gupta observed last
fortnight in Lok Sabha that UP is slipping into "anarchy, chaos and
destruction". Looking at the multidimensional crisis in the state,
this was an apt description of the situation obtaining on all
fronts, be it constitutional, administrative, law and order or, for
that matter, any other front. In fact, symptoms as there are in
Bihar have been surfacing in UP because, with the emergence of
Mulayam Singh Yadav, the face of the state administration took an
ugly colour. The functioning of the government was afflicted with
casteism, appeasement, and corruption, giving birth to mafia of
various varieties. Rule of law and observance of constitutional
propriety became conspicuously absent.
Home minister Indrajit Gupta, like a true comrade, did a somersault
in Rajya Sabha by explaining that the remark was not a comment
against governor Romesh Bhandari. The drama which was staged in New
Delhi and Lucknow has given clear indication as to the kind of
pressures that were exerted upon him by the Prime Minister, UF
partners, CPI(M), his own party and the factor that the BJP would
be the ultimate gainer if the comment was allowed to lead to its
logical conclusion. Meanwhile, the governor contested the home
minister's remark by fabricated statistics of crimes during his
tenure, and comparing it with the previous ones. The tussle
between home minister and governor went on in public glare.
Ultimately, Prime Minister pressurised Romesh Bhandari to apologise
to home minister. The public apology was considered weighty enough
reason for the home minister to twist his tongue.
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma has allowed the discussion
on a motion to recall UP governor Romesh Bhandari under Rule 184.
The Speaker deserves to be complimented for having given a sound
decision despite heavy pressure from treasury benches. He said, "I
hold with due respect to all concerned, that the voices from
treasury benches have not been unanimous. Lack of this unanimity of
voice in this regard is a matter of serious concern, which is
inconsistent with the principle of collective responsibility".
Collective responsibility is almost absent in the UF structure, for
it is a fourteen-party front and even the smallest group has
tremendous bargaining capacity. A person like Mulayam Singh Yadav
has veto power as far as UP affairs are concerned. He would not
allow home minister or even the Prime Minister to meddle in his
fief, that is UP. It is a public knowledge that home minister was
not consulted on the appointment of Romesh Bhandari as governor of
UP. That had become one of the main grouses of home minister
Indrajit Gupta in earlier days.
Why was it so? Basically because the Prime Minister has conceded
veto power to Mulayam Singh Yadav regarding UP affairs.
Romesh Bhandari may have been appointed by the President upon the
advice of Prime Minister, but his basic loyalty remains to Mulayam
Singh. Romesh Bhandari is just a hatchet-man of Mulayam Singh
Yadav. This too is not a secret that the state is mercilessly
fleeced. Prime Minister's sole concern is survival of the
government. He would compromise on anything for survival. He may
use brave words that he does not care for his prime ministership.
But every single act of the Prime Minister is a glaring testimony
to his compromises. Look at his observation in the ongoing
Bhandari controversy.
He said that he could not dismiss the governor because of one
murder. This was an exercise to distance himself from the home
minister's remark of "chaos, anarchy and destruction". Defence
minister Mulayam Singh Yadav defended governor Bhandari unabashedly
on a regular basis. Ultimately, he prevailed upon the whole of the
UF, exposing its structural deficiency and incapacity. The
question of recalling the UP governor is in a way linked with the
survival of UF government itself.
Let us have a glance at the attitude of various parties in the
state. As far as BJP is concerned, it has launched a people's
movement against Romesh Bhandari. Of course, this is
understandable.
In the last assembly elections, BJP emerged as the single largest
party. As per the well-established convention, the governor was
duty-bound to invite the leader of the single largest party to form
the government, as was done by the President at the Centre. The
Supreme Court judgement in Bommai's case was also quite clear in
this regard. BJP's leader in the state, Kalyan Singh, was not
invited to form the government because Mulayam Singh knew the
political arithmetic and composition of various parties well. He
knew it well that Kalyan Singh would definitely prove the majority
in the House. But precisely because of this possibility, Kalyan
Singh was not invited and President's rule which could not have
been extended beyond a tenure of one year without a constitutional
amendment was extended. It was a gross violation of the
Constitution primarily by the central government. Romesh Bhandari
was only too willing to be a tool of Mulayam Singh Yadav. The
whole thing has been converted into a time-consuming legal battle
resulting in suspended democracy. The case is presently lying with
the Supreme Court.
The state unit of Janata Dal describes the governor as a puppet in
the hands of Mulayam Singh Yadav who is ruling UP by proxy. The
CPI and CPI(M) attack Bhandari whom they perceive as an
extra-constitutional authority, deriving his strength from his
proximity to the Centre. Some of the Samajwadi leaders,
particularly those belonging to western UP, have come out openly
against Bhandari. As far as UPCC chief Jitendra Prasad is
concerned, he has also spoken against Bhandari. In a letter to
party president Sitaram Kesri, Jitendra has urged that the party
should not back the United Front government in the discussion and
voting on the motion under Rule 184. Bhandari may be next in
unpopularity to governor Ram Lal who dismissed N T Rama Rao in 80s.
What we are witnessing in UP and Bihar is a phenomenal political
degeneration. Internal pulls and counter-pulls in UF have a
paralysing impact. See how helpless the central government is
regarding the functional anarchy in Bihar! Never-before has a
financial anarchy of this magnitude been seen in any part of the
country. The constitutional authority, Comptroller and Auditor
General (CAG), has repeatedly drawn the attention of the
government. And the chief minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, who is
indicted in fodder and other scams, was infuriated and wanted the
CAG behind bars.
He repeated this in his typical style on March 3 and in the
proceedings of Vidhan Sabha. CAG enjoys the privileges of a Supreme
Court judge. A Janata Dal MLA of Bihar attacked the high court for
excessive expenditure as if excess expenditure is something akin to
fraudulent withdrawals which fodder scamsters had indulged in.
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