NEW DELHI: Both Congress I and Bharatiya Janata Party declined Thursday successive presidential invitations to provide an alternative to the V P Singh government they brought down Wednesday by joining with Janata Dal dissidents in the Lok Sabha in a confidence vote,

Rajiv Gandhi, first to be asked said his party would support a government by Chandra Shekhar from “outside.”

This was the reply he sent to the president’s query whether he was “able and willing” to form a “viable” government and whether Congress I would have its representatives in any government formed by Chandra Shekhar.

Congress I associate, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), a regional party of southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, has also stated it would support a Chandra Shekhar ministry from outside.

Calling on Venkataraman in the evening, BJP leader L K Advani said only a midterm poll could be the way out of the present political impasse.

IN 1979, Moraji Desai resigned as prime minister when dissidents led by Charan Singh left the party. Then as now, Congress I declared support to the dissidents from outside only to withdraw it within days of Charan Singh forming the government. Charan Singh continued as caretaker premier until the elections which put Indira Gandhi back in power.

Venkataraman has accepted the resignation of the national front government submitted after the adverse lower house vote Wednesday night and asked it to continue until a new council of ministers was appointed.

V P Singh has told the cabinet secretary to provide new residence for the prime minister.

V P Singh told the front MPs to now go to the people and place before them the issues on which their government fell protection of religious minorities in a secular democracy and action to improve the lot of backward classes.

The Front should prepare an action plan, he said at a meeting of the National Front parliamentary party and requested front chairman N T Rama Rao and Janata Dal president S R Bommai to chalk out suitable programm.

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