NEW DELHI: V. P Singh failed when he staked the national front government’s future on the conscience vote of Lok Sabha members.
Seeking the confidence of parliament after the withdrawal of support by BJP over his refusal to allow a Ram temple to be built at the Ayodhya site of Babri Masjid, he said the very survival of the nation was the overriding issue,
Governments may come and governments may go but the nation must go on,” the prime minister said, asking for the endorsement of his backward classes promotion and secularist policies.
Singh’s fighting speech was one of the finest heard in Parliament in recent years but did not move either Chandra Shekhar, his challenger, or Devi Lal, his former deputy.
In his 45minute address, the prime minister charged the BJP and the Congress(I) with trying to “dislodge” his government and told them if they succeeded then they should also take the responsibility for running the government,
He recalled his role in the removal of the previous government, which he said was on the basis of people’s mandate, and added that he had also taken up the responsibility of running the present government.
Referring to the proposal for a national government, Singh said it would not be possible to join hands with the BJP which he alleged considered itself above the constitution and law.
He said the main issue was not the Rath Yatra or the kar seva but the basic thrust of his government in taking up programmes for the backward and depressed classes which was responsible for the present crisis.
V P Singh said “I have sacrificed my government on this one issue. I shall devote my whole life, if necessary, to resolving this
“But, I want all of you to remember”, he said,” that a resolution that comes out of mutual respect and generosity of spirit will be the strongest foundation of this nation’s unity and an abiding testament to religious tolerance”.
Singh said religion should not be used to “ignite the flames of hatred, if you do so, the temple of mother India will be reduced to ashes.”
“Religion belongs in our hearts, not on the throne of power,” he said emphasizing that religion was the lamp of the soul
“I came to the government on issues”, he said adding,
“And it is on issues I am leaving. The National Front government has gone but ‘we have not lost our courage”.
Singh said that if some of his actions had angered the people, then that anger “is part of the burden I must bear.” If some of my actions have pleased you then I feel fulfilled.
The prime minister said it was the duty of the people and their right to express their displeasure as it was his to accept their anger and their affection.
Stressing that the country was born of the confluence of the greatest religions of the world, Singh asked “where in all this is a conflict? The conflict is elsewhere and religion is only a pretest,” he said.
Referring to the immolations on the Mandal commission issue, Singh said “my heart will forever be heavy. These were our ‘own children. They turned away from me but how can I turn away from them. The future of every child is the responsibility of all of us.”
Meanwhile Advani, asked BJP units to gear themselves up for the impending elections.
Nothing that the new government of Chandra Sekhar might not last ‘very long”, Advani told the party national executive that the state units must keep this in mind and be prepared for the impending trial strength whenever it came,
In his opening remarks at the national executive meeting, he said in all the elections till now anti-Congressism had been an important factor.
The verdict thus had invariably been influenced by a negative vote, he said. In the forthcoming elections, it was very likely that the electorate might be influenced more by positive attributes and policies of competing parties rather than any pure negativism,
In Rajasthan, BJP chief minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, indicated that members of the Janata Vidhayak legislature party, Janata Dal’s breakaway group would join his ministry,
The break way MLAS had supported the Bhairon Singh ministry during the vote of confidence in state assembly.
The prime minister said there were four fundamental issues which were related to the BJP’s Rath Yatra,
They were whether religious faith of somebody was above the constitution and its principles, whether religious polarization should be allowed, whether there should an alliance of religion and politics and whether munity and integrity should be maintained.
“When we took the decision to stop the rath yatra we decided to abide by the principles and not to be bothered whether we are in power or not, If we had any compromise on this issue we would have been in government. But the issue was saving the country,” Singh said,
He said the government took a conscious decision to stop the rath yatra as the BJP had already made it clear that it would withdraw its support to the government if the yatra was stymied and the temple construction plans foiled.
Referring to the Babri Masjid issue, Singh recalled the various steps taken by the government to bring about an amicable settlement. It also decided to abide by the court’s verdict on maintaining the status quo in regard to the disputed site, he added
He said nobody was opposed to the construction of a temple in Ayodhya,
But, he said, the problem was that the BJP wanted the temple to be built in the sanctum sanctorum (garb graha) of the disputed structure,
Singh said his government was “very reasonable” on the whole issue but the BJP took a “very obstinate” decision to have neither a negotiated settlement nonaccepted court verdict.
He said whether the government was in power or not the RamjanambhoomiBabri Magjid issue should be resolved so that it could be a “shining example of national pride.”
He suggested that even now parliament could take a decision based on consensus on the issue and said all the parties should abide by it.
Singh said when one faith was considered superior to another it would be the basis for foundation of a theocratic state,
If religious polarization was allowed then how could issues like Punjab, Kashmir and the north east be resolved, he asked.
Singh said “we have projected the issues before parliament. Let the country know who the people who tried to solve this problem are and whose the politics of opportunism is. It is a moment of search for everybody.”
He said during the debate parties were free to discuss the performance of his government, its successes and failures but should decide where they stood on some of the fundamental,
Mr Singh said he had decided to risk the loss of BJP support by thwarting the Ayodhya temple plans because of certain fundamental principles—whether the religious faith of someone was above the constitution, whether religious polarization should be allowed, whether there should be an alliance of religion and politics and whether unity and integrity should be compromised.
He asked how issues like Punjab, Kashmir and the northeast could be tackled i religious polarization was allowed.
The prime minister said the temple was not the main issue, But the basic thrust of his government taking up the cause of backward and oppressed classes was the issue.
Singh recalled how he had confronted the dacoits and stepped down as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, how he had been ousted as finance minister of Uttar Pradesh, how he had been ousted as finance minister because he had tried to take up some development programmes and how he had to leave the defense ministry because he confronted the political structure He was ready to face not one but a hundred elections and the last stage would be to stake his life.
“We have projected the issues before parliament,’ he said in his plea for a conscience vote on his confidence motion, ‘Let the country know who are the people who tried to solve this problem (of religious polarization) and whose is the politics of ‘opportunism. It is a moment of truth for everybody. We have to decide once and for all. Everybody must look at his face in the mirror and people should know who is voting for what.
Chandra Shekhar said it was not for one who had got himself elected leader of the Janata DAl parliamentary party the way he had to ‘preach principles’. (Chandra Shekhar had withdrawn from the leadership race in Cecember in favor of Devi Lal but on his election Devi Lal stepped down in favor of V P Singh, giving rise to charges of a VP Devi deal.)
He said ‘the communal tension had risen and social inequalities had widened’ during the 11 months V P Singh was prime minister.
He charged V P Singh of failing completely on all fronts Punjab, Kashmir and Prices and of thereupon taking up the job reservation and Ayodhya temples which in Chandra Shekhar’s opinion were hasty, populist issues,
Chandra Shekhar said the country had hardly the resources to achieve lofty economic goals and insisted that the objective behind stopping Advani was to make the situation difficult for U P chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.
He also accused the V P Singh government of opening the doors to multinational companies.
The 11 month old V.P. Singh government suffered a massive 142 to 346 defeat in the Lok Sabha on a confidence motion,
There were eight abstentions. In a house of 544 members excluding the speaker, there are 20 vacancies.
‘The Congress I and its allies, the break way Janata Dal group, headed by Chandra Shekhar, and BJP voted at last the one line motion to pull down the National Front government after a marathon 11hour debate,
Soon after the defeat, the council of ministers met and the prime minister tendered his resignation to president R.Venkatarama Mr. V.P. Singh’s government is first ever to be defeated on the floor of the house.
He defended his seeking Congress I support on the ground that V P Singh had obtained Congress I help to extend presidents’ rule of Punjab.
Chandra Shekhar declared that V P Singh should resign straight away or the members of the house will have to perform the ‘national duty’ by removing one who had “brought the nation to the brink of disaster.’
Devi Lal accused V P Singh of treachery, of betraying him and other friends, of not having national interest at heart and of aiming only at saving his chair.
The prime minister had announced the implementation of the Mandal commission recommendation on job reservations only to thwart him after his dismissal as deputy prime minister, Devi Lal asserted. He should have defused the temple issue by bringing together the religious leaders instead of letting the controversy lead to a communal blood bath.
Devi Lal said he was shocked that VP Singh should have dwelt today on these controversial issues instead of speaking on the manifold achievements of the national front government
V K Malhotra (BJP) questioned the credentials of VP Singh to claim any monopoly on secularism and contested the prime minister’s assertion that he was staking his government on issues of principles.
Somnath Chatterji (CPIM) criticized BJP for precipitating the present crisis, and Inderjit Gupta (CPI) appreciated the national government’s strong and uncompromising stand on communalist at a time when the unity and integrity of the country was in jeopardy,
A finance minister Madhu Dandawate said the government had come before the house to focus attention on the basic issues facing the country.
Advani told the Lok Sabha that his party’s decision to withdraw support was not solely on the Ayodhya issue and said the prime minister at one stage had offered to join the ‘kar seva’ (voluntary labour to build the ram temple),
In a 75minute speech laced with scathing criticism of the government, he said the prime minister had telephoned some BJP MPs to elicit their support after the party had withdrawn its backing to the government. (The V P Singh government was plunged into this crisis with, withdrawal of support by the BJP October 29 when Advani was arrested on way to Ayodhya).
Advani said his party had been totally disenchanted with the government’s handling of the Ayodhya, Punjab, Kashmir, ‘Assam and other issues as well as its failure on the economic front. He said the stoppage of his rath yatra and his arrest precipitated the issue.
Advani said the prime minister had telephoned him on the night of October 18 in New Delhi and suggested that he should postpone his departure for Calcutta by a day to resume his rath yatra from Dhanbad,
He claimed that Singh also told him that he saw some ray of hope in resolving the Ram JanambhoomiBabri Masjid issue and that he would like to join the kar seva in ‘Ayodhya.
At this stage, Chandra Shekhar stood up and sought Singh’s reaction. The prime minister said he would respond to all this later in is reply
Talking about the shape of things to come, Advani said he foresaw a replay of 1979. There was no alternative to midterm polls in the prevailing circumstances, he said,
Defending the V.P Singh government, railway minister, Fernandes, said the Janata Dal led government will go down in history as the defender of the rights of the exploited and the weaker sections of society.
“It would also be remembered as a government which preferred to sacrifice itself than to compromise on communal ism”, Mr. Fernandes said, while intervening in the debate.
During his 45minute intervention there were heated arguments between Congress I members and Mr. Fernandes when he made some remarks about the personality of the leader of the opposition, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi.
Mr. Fernandes said after independence large sections of Muslim community had decided to remain in India with the hope that this country would uphold the principles of secularism,
Referring to the BJP leaders, Mr. Fernandes said their party had started the Ram JanambhoomiBabri Masjid dispute to counter the government’s decision to implement the Mandal commission recommendations ‘on job reservations for backward castes.
He refused the allegations made by Gandhi that the Janata Dal government he had spread casteism and communalism.
Immediately after the speaker announced the division results, V P Singh vacated the chair of the leader of the house and received with a smile the congratulation of his cabinet colleagues and left party leaders on his principled stand and shook hands with Advani who wanted to say: no hard feelings.
‘The Janata Dal is petitioned speaker Rabi Ray for the disqualification of the 25odd party men who defied the party whip to vote against the government. These include former deputy prime minister Devi Lal. Coming out of the chamber, Rajiv Gandhi refused to be drawn out on the future shape of things and told reporters,” please wait“.
Chandra Shekhar merely said, “One chapter is over.”
Devi Lal said: ‘Peecha choota main bahut khush hoon’ (good riddance. I am delighted)
Janata Dal general secretary Jaipal Reddy said V P Singh had become a political martyr for secularism and social justice.
Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of Mehatma Gandhi, and Dal member of the Rajya,
‘Sabha said: “we bow before the verdict of the House.”
Article extracted from this publication >> November 16, 1990
