Ministers I K Gujral and George Fernandes have said in a statement that Devi Lal had repeatedly approached them on Monday and Tuesday seeking support to be elected leader of Janata Dal.
Devi Lal had also expressed “unhappiness” at the election of Chandra Shekhar as leader of the breakaway group, they claimed.
He had expressed the wish that a meeting of both groups beheld to elect a new leader and had proposed himself as the candidate, the ministers said.
At the request of Devi Lal a meeting of “important leaders was held at 2300 hrs. at the residence of party president S R Bommai and Devi Lal again voiced his desire to be elected leader of the party.”
In a hard hitting statement, Devi Lal alleged today that V P Singh “in his desperate attempts” to go out as a martyr for secularism completely ignored the concept of collective leadership and brought to the fore condemnable individualism leadership and brought to the fore condemnable individualism.
When there was a distinct possibility of the National Front government mustering support under an alternative leadership, Mr V P Singh refused to make way thereby exposing his intentions to cling, to power at any cost, which led to the split in the Janata Dal,” he said.
Devi Lal said he had been pleading sincerely for the unity of the party through change of leadership to avoid midterm elections which would prove catastrophic as the country is under “emotional siege.” But, this failed to appeal to the “power hungry” who wanted to reap political gains from the ruins of a divided society.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 16, 1990
