Troublesome trio

From a purely technical point of view, Prime Minister I.K. Gujral is within his rights to say that the three ministers belonging to Laloo P...

From a purely technical point of view, Prime Minister I.K. Gujral is within his rights to say that the three ministers belonging to Laloo Prasad Yadav8217;s Rashtriya Janata Dal will remain in his ministry. After all, the prerogative of the Prime Minister is such that he can induct anyone of his choice, who need not even be a member of Parliament, into his Cabinet.

Besides, as he has pointed out, there is a precedent whereby two ministers belonging to the Congress Tiwari remained in the ministry even after their party merged in the Congress. However, the question is: can this Prime Minister claim such a prerogative when he happens to be chosen by the ministry, rather than the other way round? His inability to raise petroleum prices to contain the burgeoning oil pool deficit is a pointer to his circumscribed prerogative. It is in this context that Gujral8217;s assertion that the RJP will stay in the United Front does not carry conviction.

Such a decision can be taken only by the United Front, in which the Prime Minister8217;s truncated party is just one among 13 constituents. Thus, to all intents and purposes, Gujral8217;s is not the last word on the RJP8217;s admissibility. Ideally, he should have left the matter to the United Front to sort it out among its constituents.

Even if Gujral8217;s stand is technically correct, he cannot overlook its moral aspect. After all, the moral and the legal are inseparable. Anything that is legally sound is invalid if it is morally deficient. If this principle were to be applied to his decision, it would be found grossly wanting in many respects. It is worth recalling that the split in the Janata Dal was engineered by Laloo not to uphold any lofty principle, but to safeguard his own personal and political interests. Although the Bihar Chief Minister now has a captive political party, which will help him in his manoeuverings at Patna, he is still not prepared to forgo the benefits that accrue to him by virtue of being a part of the United Front. In other words, he wants to have the cake and eat it too. Gujral8217;s soft corner for Laloo, as manifested in his decision to remove Joginder Singh from the CBI, is understandable in view of their long-standing mutually beneficial friendship. However, any step in furtherance of their relationship will be detrimental to the image of the Prime Minister, who is committed to justice and fair play in public life. Seen against this backdrop, there can be no place for Laloo8217;s confidants in the UF Ministry. This is more so because Gujral himself advised Laloo to quit.

Having given such advice, it is now incumbent upon the Prime Minister to ensure that Laloo bows to public opinion. So far, the principle employed is that a chargesheeted minister should not continue in office till his name is cleared. The charges against Laloo may or may not stand judicial scrutiny but Gujral will be enhancing not only his own image but that of the United Front as a whole if he takes his advice to its logical culmination by asking for and obtaining his resignation. The Left parties may be spoilsports but they cannot be faulted for insisting that the UF should have no truck with Laloo and his party. If Gujral hesitates on the assumption that Laloo can endanger his Government, he will be left nowhere when Laloo eventually has to forsake his post.