Gowda Govt Continues

Prime Minister HD Deve Gowdas government continues intact with all its powers, unless he resigns or the President seeks his resignation and appoints a new Prime Minister. The President is more likely to ask him to seek a vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha.

R Venkataraman, who was the President in 1990, had allowed the then Prime Minister VP Singh to seek a vote of confidence (which he lost) after the BJP announced the withdrawal of support to his government.

Parliament is scheduled to meet on April 21 and United Front leaders seemed to hope that President SD Sharma would allow Gowda to wait until then to seek the confidence of the house. However, the President could set an earlier deadline.

The Prime Minister has already indicated that he would not resign and would prove his majority on the floor of the House. Defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and UF spokesperson Jaipal Reddy yesterday said they hoped the President would give them a chance to prove majority support.

If Gowda survives the vote, the government would be safe for at least three months, since no fresh no confidence motion would normally be moved for the rest of the session. The monsoon session would normally begin in mid-July.

If Gowda fails to prove majority support, an alternate government would be likely, since the President is likely to allow the most credible of those who stake their claims to form a government. Congress President Sitaram Kesari is likely to stake his claim. So, too, may leaders of the United Front such as GK Moopanar.

A new government could decide to present a fresh budget. More likely, though, it would opt to continue with the current finance Bill. The budget presented by finance minister P Chidambaram may be taken up by the House.

It has been widely welcomed and a new government may find it difficult to replicate its boldness.

The house has already passed the appropriation Bill and therefore has two months time to pass the Budget. Given the general lack of strong opposittion to the basic tenets of Chidambarams budget by various political parties, the budget could easily sail through, albeit with minor changes.