HVK Archives: Alarm bells for Gowda as new axis develops around Kesri
Alarm bells for Gowda as new axis develops around Kesri - The Indian Express
Neerja Chowdhury
()
8 October 1996
Title : Alarm bells for Gowda as new axis development
around Kesri
Author : Neerja Chowdhury
Publication : The Indian Express
Date : October 8, 1996
"Chacha" Kesri is weaving a web to catch Gowda on the
wrong foot. He has threatened the withdrawal of Congress
support. By choosing to administer the warning in the
context of Uttar Pradesh (that the United Front should
support Mayavati to form government in Lucknow since the
Congress backs it in Delhi), he has won over Kanshi Ram
to his side. The Bahujan Samaj Party accounts for 11 Lok
Sabha MPs, and Kanshi Ram has already expressed a desire
to tie up with the Congress nationally.
And now Ramakrishna Hegde has come out in favour of Kesri
as Prime Minister. A new axis is already developing
around Kesri which could include the Congress (143),
Tamil Maanila Congress (20), Laloo Yadav (22), Tiwari
Congress (4), MP Vikas Party (2), Bahujan Samaj Party
(11), Hegde (unknown Karnataka MPs who can swing to him
if Deve Gowda starts to lose ground).
There are too many ifs and buts in the plan to install
Kesri as Prime Minister. But the very talk of such a
possibility has rung warning bells for the Prime Min-
ister.
Gowda has been forced to neutralise Laloo Yadav, who has
been a thorn in his side (instead of letting him be fixed
by the courts) because of the power centre that is devel-
oping around Sitaram Kesri. Laloo is known to be very
close to the "chacha" and capable of creating trouble for
Gowda, if the Prime Minister does not come to his rescue.
The Prime Minister has also been compelled to change
track on Rao who he sees as the bulwark against the
reunification of the Congress and its entry into the
coalition. This could mean the beginning of the end of
Gowda. Whether Rao continues as the Congress Parliamen-
tary Party chief would be determined by what the courts
rule for him -jail or bail.
A softening towards both Rao and Laloo, viewed by the
Gowda camp as a political compulsion, has already landed
the Prime Minister in trouble. The Patna High Court's
strictures on Monday against the Central Bureau of Inves-
tigation (CBI) chief - that he should not meddle in the
probe - and their instructions to CBI joint director U N
Biswas to report directly to them is a severe indictment
of the Prime Minister. The CBI functions directly under
him. The Bharatiya Janata Party has turned the heat on
the Prime Minister by demanding Joginder Singh's resigna-
tion.
Besides the flak Gowda is getting from the courts, he
will face increasing pressure within the United Front
with the Left parties taking serious exception to the
Government's attempt to bail out those who are in the
dock today.
Operation Congress may well envisage an alternative plan
to Gowda as PM, in which Kesri is in a position to lead a
minority government with the help of friendly groups and
the "issue based" support of the Left parties, TDP, AGP,
whose politics cannot allow partnership with the Congress
at the Centre because they are fighting it in the states.
But these parties may not topple a Congress Government to
keep the BJP out. Even Mulayam Singh Yadav, who will not
go where BSP is there, may well fall in this category.
Kesri's decision to play the Manmohan card yesterday,
with the promise of a very important assignment to the
clean-imaged former Finance Minister, is designed to
exert moral pressure on Rao to step down (by emphasising
the contrast)
The induction of Manmohan Singh in the Congress Working
Committee and the call for the reunification of the
Congress (for which the Congress president has laid down
a new cut off date) and a warning to Gowda not take the
Congress for granted is to hold out a hope to demoralised
Congressmen.
He has also distanced himself from Rao by making the
appointment and demonstrated that he is different from
his predecessor.
Ultimately, Kesri will have to consolidate his position
in the party. He may hope that in the event of Rao
quitting the CPP post, and with no unanimity likely on
any other name, he would be asked to lead the parliamen-
tary party (even though he is a Rajya Sabha member).
This does not mean that Gowda is about to be dethroned.
He may well continue by default for months. But it does
mean greater turmoil in the United Front. Much will also
depend on the outcome of the Uttar Pradesh elections.
The underlying message of Kesri's repeated warnings to
Gowda is - "Mr Prime Minister deal with me now."
Gowda who goes rushing to call on people, even when it
gets him into trouble (like his visit to Chief Justice
Ahmadi) has not yet called on Sitaram Kesri to congratu-
late the new Congress president after he took over.
Neither has he sent an emissary nor despatched flowers.
The Congress is after all the party propping up the Gowda
government.
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