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HVK Archives: BJP remains non-committal on confidence motion

BJP remains non-committal on confidence motion - The Observer

Observer Political Bureau ()
3 April 1997

Title : BJP remains non-committal on confidence motion
Author : Observer Political Bureau
Publication : The Observer
Date : April 3, 1997

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday refrained from making a
definite statement whether it would vote against the confidence
vote being sought by Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda on April 11.

The party, instead, said that it would take a final decision on the
issue at the April 10 meeting of its parliamentary party meeting.

"We are not going to support any of the two (United Front or
Congress)," BJP vice-president Krishanlal Sharma said Briefing
newsmen, he declined to make a firm declaration that the party
would vote against the motion.

The non-committal stance of the BJP is adding to speculations that
the party might bail out the Gowda Government by abstaining on
April 11. The BJP, however, has denied that it was holding any sort
of negotiations with the United Front.

BJP president L K Advani and leader of opposition Atal Bihari
Vajpayee have indicated that the BJP would vote against the
confidence motion, if and when it came. They had given this
indication on Monday after calling on President Shankar Dayal
Sharma.

But on Wednesday, the party vice president Krishanlal Sharma
refrained from making a definitive statement as to whether the BJP
will vote against the motion or not.

Commenting on the political developments following withdrawal of
support to the UF Government by the Congress, Sharma said "any
arrangement other than the present one (United Front) would also
not work even though Congress president Sitaram Kesri says that the
UF as a whole was not communal but Prime Minster H D Deve Gowda
was."

Sharma also denounced "rumours" that the BJP was involved in
parleys between United Front and Congress and said, "BJP has
nothing to do on what is going on between the UF and the Congress.

On the prevailing political situation, he said, till Parliament
meets on April 11, the United Front Government "is on dialysis as
both kidneys have failed and no patient can be kept alive on
dialysis very long."

The BJP, has already ruled out staking claim to form the Government
"at this juncture". Party president L K Advani and leader of
opposition Atal Bihari Vajpayee have urged President Shankar Dayal
Sharma to "verify the claims of support of the Congress thoroughly
before inviting it."

"Any claim by any party or combination of parties should be
verified properly," Advani said that the Congress claim was not
based on any firm commitment and 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,"
Advani asked. Both Advani and Vajpayee announced that BJP and its
allies will vote against confidence vote to be sought by Prime
Minister H D Deve Gowda on April 7 as per the direction of the
President.

Meanwhile, All India General Secretary of the BJP, Mr M Venkaiah
Naidu, asserted at Chennai on Wednesday that his party would "vote
out" the United Front Government on April 11, when Mr Deve Gowda
would seek a vote of confidence.

Only two options would be available before the Members of
Parliament: Either bring back the BJP Government or go in for
mid-term elections to the Lok Sabha, he said addressing a press
conference here on Wednesday. "No other experiment will succeed",
he said.

Mr Naidu said there was no scope for the Congress party to form a
Government at the Centre because no one in the country was "willing
to believe" it. He said Mr Deve Gowda ought to have "resigned" on
the day the Congress withdrew its support to the UF Government.

Only the BJP with a base of nearly 200 MPs, could give a more
stable Government than any other combination. If a couple of
parties extended their support, the BJP would be able to form the
next Government. He, however, refused to name them. Mr Naidu said
the BJP would not stake its claim on its own to form the
Government. "We will wait and watch the situation. We do not want
the Congress to form any alternate Government for the simple reason
it was rejected by the people and most of its leaders are facing
corruption".

Asserting that the BJP was "willing" for a mid-term poll, Naidu
said if there was realignment of political forces, it would be
"advantageous" to the BJP. "If there is any patch up, it will be
bad for the country but good for the BJP", he said.


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