Cracks appear as Rao tells party to get into poll - The Weekend Observer

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Sparking off fresh doubts over the strength of the
Congress(I)'s commitment to supporting the United Front
government at the Centre, party president Mr. P.V.
Narasimha Rao is believed to have told some partymen to
prepare for fresh elections within a year.

Referring to the longevity of the Deve Gowda-led
government, the former prime minister is understood to
have remarked to two ministers from Madhya Pradesh, who
met him over the last two days. "This is not going to be
a longish affair. I think we have to prepare for fresh
elections within the next six or seven months-a year at
the latest."

Although the remark, according to loyalists, was part of
Mr Rao's efforts to stave off renewed and increasing
pressure from his partymen for the Congress(I) to join
the Gowda government, any such move will obviously not be
acceptable to the former Prime Minister since it would
cut him out of the picture completely and erode his
powers within the party. In view of this, Mr Rao's
comments are being viewed as innocuous within a large
section of the party which believes that the stocks of
the Gowda government have already shop up manifold over
the last week on account of some major factors. Primary
among them, is the offer of talks from the Benazir Bhutto
government.

While going one up even on the Rao government on this
issue, the Deve Gowda has also managed to garner a strong
semblance of both credibility and longevity through two
other factors, they maintain.

By avoiding any prolonged bickering over the issue of
portfolio allocation as well as successfully persuading
the CPI to join the Front government at the Centre, the
Gowda government managed to extinguish hopes within the
Rao loyalist camp that the differences would erupt into
the open.
All these issues, besides the reception to the Front's
Common
Minimum Programme from the industry and foriegn
investors, have contributed significantly to the fresh
pressure within the Congress(I), despite Mr Rao's own
opposition, to re-examine the party's option of joining
the Front government.

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