NEW DELHI: Last week’s crucial voting in Indian Lok Sabha on a. government sponsored motion of thanks to the President for his address to the house brought to the fore the fact that Prime Minister Narasimha Rao faced no serious immediate danger to his minority government as most opposition parties notably the BJP. do not think a midterm poll at this stage would suit them At the same time the confrontation between the government and the opposition would put the prime minister on his toes. He would have to lean heavily on certain small regional political groups and would have to give them concessions.
Evidently despite the voting the government remains dependent on the BJ.P.s political compulsions. The later was in no position to make a common cause with Janata Dal leftist alliance to depose the government in the immediate future. When the BJ.P. Moved amendments to the government motion I criticize it for not doing enough to arrest inflation and unemployment it had not bargained for the consequences. The J.D. left alliance seized the opportunity to test BILP.s sincerity about throwing out the Rao government. The B.S.P. leadership saw danger. L .k. Advani made a strange statement of the eve of the crucial voting to the effect that it was not easy to defeat the government. This statement lifted the governments morale while opposition circles were demoralized with the result that most Congress (l) members were persuaded to attend the session a few opposition members absented themselves to ensure governments victory.
“The government was supported by 269 members while it was opposed by 231 members. There was gap of 32 votes. Three SIP members loyal to Mulayam Singh Yadav five members of Janata Dal loyal to Ajit Singh nine of the 13 Telegu Desam members abstained from voting to facilitate Raos victory. Even Chander Shekhar and Kanshi Ram were absent from the house at the time of voting.
The Prime Minister made a personal request 10 chief minister Jayalalita for A.L.D.M.K members support to save the government. The chief minister is unhappy with suburban fare increase in the Indian railway budget which has still to be passed sometime next week. It is likely that the government will reduce some of the fare increase and give some concessions to income tax payers.
Another upshot of the vote drama will be realignment among political groups. Ajit Singhs group has started pressing the government cither to admit its members to the Congress (l) fold or adjust them in coalition. The Telegu Desam group in Parliament is facing internal dissensions.
In any case the government will have to remain vigilant on voting (on the railway budget as well as the general budget. The number of critics of the new economic policies is quite sizeable not all these critics want the government fall at this stage but the authorities will have to dilute some of the policies. The Prime Minister made this point by publicly stating that food subsidy would not be stopped despite world banks pressure. The debates in the parliament put the government on the defensive. The opposition succeeded in projecting an impression that country’s independence was being compromised It was presumably to counter this impression that the government spokesman aired differences with the U.S.A. on such issues as nuclear proliferation and sale of US.S. Wheat to India and Indian supply of rice to Cuba:
Article extracted from this publication >> March 20, 1992
