Dy PM settles in, stretches his legs

Home Minister L.K. Advani, in his new avtaar as Deputy PM, is emerging as the Government8217;s chief interface on political matters. His ro...

Home Minister L.K. Advani, in his new avtaar as Deputy PM, is emerging as the Government8217;s chief interface on political matters. His role, the contours of which are slowly taking shape, seems to be a response to criticism from the BJP and RSS of the PMO8217;s over-involvement on the political front.

Both have been demanding appointment of a senior functionary to act as a bridge between government and politics.

Significantly, the Cabinet Secretary is believed to have failed to unearth precedents for a Deputy PM8217;s role in the Government, forcing it to decide against amending the Warrant of Precedence and Rules of Business which would have formalised Advani8217;s place in the government and his responsibilities.

Since the Constitution does not recognise the post, Government would have had to amend it before making the changes. With the numbers lacking in Parliament, it is understood to have decided against pushing a bill which would have squeezed Advani in between the PM and the Speaker in the hierarchy.

While there may be technical hitches on the government side, three recent developments indicate the space Advani has acquired within the coalition. Perhaps the most significant was the decision to field Advani as the Government face at the all-party meet on poll reforms.

Opposition parties were taken aback to find that Vajpayee was not in the chair.

Technically, it was Law Minister Jana Krishnamurthy who chaired the talks but it was Advani who stood in for the PM and did the talking.

Story continues below this ad

Again, Advani has taken over from Vajpayee in sorting out the Mamata-Nitish feud over bifurcation of astern Railways. This time, Vajpayee has stayed out of the controversy and has left Advani to arrive at a compromise.

The team from Bengal, which came to Delhi to protest against bifurcation, was directed to Advani. It was he who phoned Buddhadeb Bhattacharya to get his views. The team from Bihar was also directed to Advani.

The first sign of the emerging equation was of course, Advani8217;s intervention to persuade Narendra Modi to defer his gaurav yatra. Advani8217;s statements in Gandhinagar that the state government must concentrate on restoring a sense of security are seen as part of the process of bridging the gap between politics and government.

This apart, Advani has also taken full charge of the BJP. Over the past fortnight, he has held several meetings with new BJP chief Venkaiah Naidu on organisational changes announced today.

Story continues below this ad

Advani aides denied there was any move to encroach on areas of functioning with the PMO, for example, the Dept of Personnel and the National Security Council. Advani is believed to have asked the Cabinet Secretariat to deny reports that the NSC would be transferred to Home.