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The seeds of ail alternative arrangement within the United Front were
sown on Wednesday when Mr G K Moopanar and Mr K Karunanidhi were
closeted in a highly secretive meeting with Samajwadi Party leader
Mulayam Singh Yadav at the Tamil Nadu House.
All through last night, the confabulations continued, laying the ground
for a possible ouster of Mr Gowda.
In the wee hours of today, the scene shifted to the Andhra Bhavan, where
the same set of leaders held a breakfast meeting with the TDP joining
the ranks of the TMC, DMK and SP hi planning the ouster of Mr Gowda
before 11 am when the Parliament debate would begin.
Deadset on getting to Parliament well before the beginning of the bad
auspices, Mr Gowda was preparing to board his vehicle at 10.20 am. But
he was stopped in his tracks, literally, by Bihar chief minister Laloo
Yadav, Mr Naidu and Mr Moopanar who arrived at that moment Sources said
that they "curtly" demanded that Mr Gowda stop and listen to them.
Ushering Mr Gowda into one of the rooms, sources said that the Front
leaders were then involved in a heated discussion for close to 20
minutes. The meeting was called to an end abruptly when the Prime
Minister stormed out of the room protesting loudly, "I'm sorry, but you
cannot do this. The President has directed me to face the house and I
have to go."
A forewarned and disappointed Mr Gowda is understood to have threatened
that the Janata Dal would not be party to any move by the Front leaders
to set up a new arrangement. "The Dal will leave the Front," Mr Gowda is
understood to have warned. This acquires significance since Mr Yadav
commands the support of a substantial number of party MPs. Should Mr
Gowda slick to his threat, the Dal is perceived as vulnerable to a
split.
According to sources, the discussion involved Mr Gowda's stepping down
in favour of either Mr I K Gujral or Mr Naidu. Mr Laloo Yadav, however,
opposed the name of Mr Naidu.
A flustered Mr Gowda exited in a huff to Parliament, where his speech
was consequently mumbled, Inaudible and completely lacklustre despite
its long-winded and detailed listing of his government's achievements.
Following Mr Gowda's exit, the Front leaders are understood to have been
closeted at 7, Race Course Road for a while longer. The scene then moved
to Banga Bhavan where both West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu and
CPI(M) chief H S Surjeet were understood to have discussed the
developments.
Subsequently, the team rushed to Andhra Bhavan, where the others in the
Front pantheon were closeted to choose a new leader for the coalition.
AGP leader Prafulla Mahanta wag among those present.
The meeting, in a bizarre play-out of events, carried on even as the
Prime Minister and some of his colleagues including Mr C M Ibrahim and
Mr Ram Vilas Paswan kept up a semblance of a debate in Parliament on the
trust vote.
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