Pushed to the wall

The man India awaits, that was how Atal Behari Vajpayee was projected by his party before last year's Lok Sabha elections. Just 12 months...

The man India awaits, that was how Atal Behari Vajpayee was projected by his party before last year8217;s Lok Sabha elections. Just 12 months later, that line has been all but forgotten and the leader himself is subject to much calumny within the party.

A series of developments both within the BJP and outside it has conspired to drive Vajpayee into a corner. It8217;s easy to blame his party8217;s fractured mandate for the trouble he now finds himself in, since it forced the BJP to approach parties that were quite removed from it 8212; both ideologically and politically 8212; in order to form a coalition government at the Centre. But what should worry the party more, if it is at all concerned about its future, is the sad dissonance within it that has only added to the fissiparous nature of the present government.

Among the factors that brought the current imbroglio over President8217;s rule in Bihar into play was the patent mishandling of the governor8217;s issue. The initial idea was to clean up the administrative mess in thestate by getting a non-controversial yet known administrator to preside over the state during the period of President8217;s rule, so that the ordinary people of Bihar would come to realise the great difference that an able government could make to their lives.

This plan appeared to have taken off when, following the Rabari government8217;s dismissal on February 12, paramilitary troops and advisors were sent to Bihar to help set it right. Given the sensitive political and caste configurations in the state, it had also been decided to replace the controversial governor of the state, S.S. Bhandari, because he was so overtly identified with the RSS and had already, through his comments and actions, alienated the backward castes in the state.

The plan needed a modicum of discretion in order to be successful. Unfortunately, it was at this juncture that Home Minister L.K. Advani decided to go public with the plan to have an 8220;apolitical8221; governor in Bihar. What followed was well-known. In order to pacify a publiclymiffed Bhandari, the prime minister was forced to go on the defensive, thus providing the Congress with a readymade excuse to oppose President8217;s rule in Bihar by citing RSS involvement in governance as one of the reasons for doing so.

The Vajpayee government has now decided to press ahead with the statutory resolution for approval of President8217;s rule in Bihar and the voting on it in the Lok Sabha is scheduled for Friday. The prime minister has appealed to his coalition partners to vote with him on the issue or face the prospect of his government resigning.

Some may view this as an attempt to emotionally blackmail his allies into supporting him, but for Vajpayee it was the only honourable thing to do. He recognises the crucial significance of that vote it is as good as a Vote of Confidence for his government. Technically speaking, if he loses it, he does not have to pack his bags. Morally speaking, however, he is left with no option but to do so.