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The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday ruled out staking claim to
form the Government, for the present, and urged President Shankar
Dayal Sharma to verify Congress's claim of majority before inviting
it to form the Government.
BJP president L K Advani and leader of opposition Atal Behari
Vajpayee told newsmen after calling on the President at the
Rashtrapati Bhawan that they had requested the President to cheek
the veracity of claims of strength of political parties or
combination of parties before inviting them to form the Government.
They said that the BJP would not be staking its claim "at this
juncture."
"Any claim by any party or combination of parties should be
verified properly," Mr Advani said. He added that the Congress
claim was not based on any firm commitment, and that verification
was a must to ascertain whether it had the support or was it merely
posturing.
"If the Congress is invited to form a Government and that
Government also fails, who will head a caretaker Government," he
asked. Both Mr Advani and Mr Vajpayee announced that BJP and its
allies would vote against confidence vote to be sought by Prime
Minister H D Deve Gowda on April 11 as per. the direction of the
President.
Mr Vajpayee had announced BJP's stand immediately after the end of
an emergency meeting of the available BJP national executive
members at the party's Ashok Road headquarters. He also held a
dinner meeting with leaders of his party's' allies Shiv Sena,
Samata Party, Shiromani Akali Dal, Haryana Vikas Party - to discuss
the ongoing political developments.
Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani meeting with the President was sought by
the BJP leaders on Sunday. The meeting materialised after the
President's advice to Mr Gowda to call a sitting of Parliament on
April 11 to prove his majority on the floor of the. Lok Sabha wag
announced.
Before leaving for Rashtrapati Bhawan, Mr Vajpayee told newsmen
that. "the President has done the right thing by asking the, Prime
Minister to arrange a meeting of Parliament by April 11.
Earlier, BJP spokesperson Sushma Swaraj announced her party's
decision to fulfill Its role as the principal Opposition party oh
the floor of the Lok Sabha. Announcing this at a crowded press
conference to brief the correspondents on the deliberations of the
emergency meeting of the BJP national executive members, Ms Swaraj
made fun of Kesri's 'claim' to a vacancy that did not arise.
"It Is comical that Mr Kesri had staked claim to the Prime
Minister's, post when there was no vacancy to rill up," she Neither
had Mr Gowda resigned nor had the President sacked him. The Prime
Minister was yet to be defeated on the floor of the House, she said
adding, "How anyone can stake claim for something that is not there
beats us."
"Mr Kesri's and Mr Gowda's bluffs of enjoying majority support will
be called on April 11 on the floor of the House, where each
political party has to explain their stand for taking their
respective decisions," Ms Swaraj said. She added that it was
'ridiculous' for Mr Kesri to stake his claim.
Ms Swaraj said that all the allies of the BJP would vote with the
BJP against the motion for confidence votes. She added that Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati had spoken to her and assured her
of BSP's support on the floor of the Lok Sabha during the voting.
The BSP had a total of 11 MPs and the BJP and its allies had a
total strength of 203 members in the House. A meeting of all BJP
MPs had been convened a day before the Lok Sabha assembles to chalk
out the party's floor strategy, Ms Swaraj said.
Meanwhile, the central office bearers would meet daily to take
stock of the situation, especially in the light of the President's
advice to the Prime Minister to convene Parliament on April 11. The
national executive would meet on April 5 and 6 after the
Thiruvananthapuram meeting was deferred following the political
developments.
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