NEW DELHI: Two weeks after Ram Jethmalani unilaterally announced his candidature for the Presidential poll, his party, the Janata Dal, is yet to decide what to do about the move by the Rajya Sabha member.

Jethmalani’s action caught the party unawares and to rub it in, the noted lawyer has since then made it abundantly clear that he will not withdraw from the contest under any circumstances.

Jethmalani has seldom toed the line of any party he has belonged to, He quit the BJP, whose Vice President he was, when he decided to defend Simranjit Singh Mann and Kehar Singh; the latter was later hanged for conspiring to assassinate Indira Gandhi,

Earlier during the Budget session this year, Jethmalani refused to obey the Janata Dal whip in the Rajya Sabha and vote against the motion of thanks to the President’s address, He declared on the floor of the House his intention to support the Narasimha Rao Government’s policies of economic liberalization. It is a different matter that he was not present on the day the motion was pull to vote. Though Jethamalani’s conduct had come in for severe criticism within the Janata Dal, he was let off the hook by the party’s Rajya Sabha leader S Jaipal Reddy, The latter condoned Jethmatani’s absence from the House though the party had issued a whip to its members to be present and vote against the President’s address,

Jethmalani’s announcement is considered as another rebuff to the party. But when asked whether his announcement would lead toa final parting of ways with the Janata Dal, he had shot back to say, “Not at all.” At the same time, he reiterated that he supported the Congress’s economic liberalization and the shift in foreign policy as manifested in the recognition of Israel, even as he advocated the implementation of the Mandal Commission’s report a line which the Janata Dal committed to.

It is probably because of his vociferous support for the Mandal Commission-he had clashed with Orissa Chief Minister Biju Patnaik over the latter’s affidavit in the Supreme Court, which was against the line adopted by the party’s National Executive-that a section of the party has had a soft corner for the noted lawyer.

For instance, it is no secret that Janata Dal Secretary-General Sharad Yadav and Rajya Sabha leader Jaipal Reddy do not agree with the party hard-liners that he should be expelled for flouting party discipline.

Those in favor of adopting a softer approach also point out that the stance of the Janata Dal is not likely to determine the outcome of the Presidential election.

“The Left parties seem to be ready to support the Congress if it nominates Vice-President S.D.Sharma as President. So does the BJP.

In that case, the Janata Dal has no stake in the election,” said a senior party leader,

Jethmalani had informed former Prime Minister V.P. Singh before announcing his candidature,

The latter revealed his mind when he issued a letter a few days later, arguing that a person from a Scheduled Caste or Tribe should be the party’s Presidential candidate.

It is another matter that the line adopted by Singh and his ardent Supporter Ram Vilas Paswan has: ended’ up creating year another Controversy within the party.

Party hard-liners, on’ the other hand, feel that action will have to be initiated against the Rajya Sabha member if he persists with his candidature. So far, they point Out, Jethmalani has only expressed his intention to contest, “But once he contest the election after the party, has taken a stance, there will be no alternative to expelling him.”

 

Article extracted from this publication >> June 12, 1992