HVK Archives: 'There will a scramble from the UF after Gowda is voted out'
'There will a scramble from the UF after Gowda is voted out' - The Times of India
Mahendra Ved
()
5 April 1997
Title: 'There will a scramble from the UF after Gowda is voted out'
Author : Mahendra Ved
Publication : The Times of India
Date : April 5, 1997
"Who knows, we may get the amrit (nectar) at the end of this sagar
manthan (churning of the ocean)," says Sushma Swaraj, using a
simile from ancient scripture. She is forthright about the role the
Bharatiya Janata Party sees for itself after it has done its "duty"
of bringing down the Deve Gowda government in the Lok Sabha on
April 11. The party is aiming at a second chance to form the
government. She specifically mentions the Telugu Desam Party (TDP),
the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Tamil Maanila Congress
(TMC) among the parties likely to exercise their option in favour
of the BJP.
A front-ranking woman politician, Ms Swaraj has come a long way
since she began her career as a socialist of a party that has a
number of reputed speakers and writers calls for mettle that she
has displayed in abundance, be it in Parliament, in public rallies
or at briefing sessions at party headquarters. Excerpts from an
interview with Mahendra Ved:
Do you see the current crisis leading to early elections?
This is the only permanent solution. But except for the BJP, no
one is ready. There are efforts to forge another coalition. But
that will not last long. You can only defer the polls. The pity is,
the more we talk of elections, the more united they get. Members of
Parliament of other parties say the BJP wants to take advantage of
the situation, so why give them the chance?
How are you certain a poll will provide the solution?
Two Lok Sabha elections did riot give a proper man date to any
party. Fractured mandates have not given good governments. Such
governments work under constraints. People don't like governments
working under constraints. It is better to go to the people and get
a clear mandate.
How has the present situation come about?
Because of Mr Deve Gowda's penchant for vendetta. Instead of
consensus and humility, his style was arrogance and confrontation.
He thought he was God, not Gowda. Then, we talked of value-based
politics in the past. Nobody talks of values any more. The present
crisis is the culmination of all this.
The situation is somewhat ridiculous. The Congress has withdrawn
support, but Mr Deve Gowda has not resigned. Nor has he been
dismissed. Nor has he been voted out. And yet Mr Kesri has staked
his claim. That question comes only when a vacancy occurs. The
breakthrough will come about only after April 11. Till then there
will only be rumours and planting of stories.
Are you referring to the reports that the prime minister is talking
to the BJP?
Mr Deve Gowda has not talked to us at all. All that happened was
that on Sunday, Mr Advani telephoned him to ask whether he had
resigned. There were rumours to that effect. The PM said no. He
would rather go to Parliament and the people. That was all the
conversation there was. But the mere presumption of someone having
talked to us makes him communal.
Come to think of it, the UF government came into being to keep the
BJP out. They want to survive on it. The fall of this government
will prove the futility of this negative plank. When 13 parties
get together and say "stop the BJP," it only shows the BJP's
strength. What we see now is a one-line justification: this is
being done to stop the BJP (from coming to power).
Is the BJP the common point of repulsion?
Yes. This talk of communalism is a charade. They have united to
protect each other. Mr Kesri withdrew the support of his party for
his own sake, in time for the Dr Tanwar case. Tell me, how can Mr
Kesri justify the allegation that Mr Gowda or this government is
communal? Har koi apne dard mein karahta hai lekin naam BJP ka
leta hai. Kesriji BJP ke kandhe par rakhkar bandook chalate hain.
(Everyone is keen to serve his own interest, but blames the BJP.
Mr Kesri is firing his gun from the BJP's shoulder.)
How do you think the situation will shape up?
It will shape up only after 1\4t- Deve Gowda is voted out. Then
there will be a scramble from the UF. Its constituents will have
the option of either staying isolated, or coming to the BJP. Or
joining the Congress.
So you will be voting against the government, and with the
Congress.
The law has two concepts: voting with common intention, and with
similar intention. We will vote on a similar pattern, not together.
It is the Congress that will be changing its stand, and be
answerable. Not us.
There are persistent reports that you might abstain.
Why should we abstain? We have to answer to the people and our
cadres if we vote with the government or do anything to bail it
out. We want to see that the game goes on. Those who arc
spreading this story are not our well-wishers. They want to either
help Gowda or stop Kesri.
The annual budget has come to acquire a certain political sanctity.
Trade and industry want it passed.
Yeh budget pass karvane ka hamne theka nahin le rakha hai (we are
not duty bound to get this budget passed.) First, why pass the
budget of a government that will be voted out? And then, Mr
Chidambaram and his budget are not the last word in financial
management. Let the next government introduce a new budget. If it
is us, we will make Then (trade and industry) happy.
Looking back, would the BJP have provided a better government?
The present government is led by a party that has 40 MPs. We have
162. If nothing else, four times their strength would have given
us credibility that would have been many times higher.
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