Comrades Ask Gujral To Take Charge
Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral flew back from Male yesterday right into the eye of a brewing political storm. Gujrals homecoming from the four-day Saarc summit was ruined by reports that several leading lights of the United Front (UF) and the Congress had yesterday complained of a perceptible drift in the functioning of his government. During discussions in Parliament, the leaders called upon Gujral to assert himself and take charge of the administration.
The Prime Ministers post has become ceremonial, people are doing what they like, there is no accountability, Janata Dal working president Sharad Yadav told the Lok Sabha yesterday.
The politicians were reacting to reports in a leading general daily on the politically sensitive investigations into the Bofors deal and the S K Tanwar murder. The issue agitated both houses and provoked Congress leader Priya Ranjan Das Munshi to give notice of a motion of breach of privilege.
Even a leader who is opposed to former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda noted yesterday that at least Gowda had built a strong alliance with (former Prime Minister PV Narasimha) Rao, (CPM leader HS) Surjeet and his team of bureaucrats. UF leaders pointed to Gujrals tame acceptance of demands for the revoking of Bhabani Sen Guptas appointment as his media adviser and his decision to retain Gowdas team of officials as indications of his unwillingness to rock the boat.
A legislator close to former Prime Minister VP Singh said: Gujral has about 10 days. Either he has to make major changes in the bureaucracy or he will be overpowered by them. Some UF leaders warned that the Bharatiya Janata Party threat is looming larger than ever before, with many bureaucrats preferring the BJP, and both Gowda and PV Narasimha Rao appearing to have moved tactically closer to it.
Gujral might have the support of two-thirds of the Lok Sabha on paper, but nobody stood up to defend him yesterday when he was criticised for the Bofors report leak. You may call it what you like. I call it witch-hunting. If the CBI chief goes on like this, it is a fit case of privilege, said Das Munshi, while moving his privilege motion, leaving no one in doubt what his party wanted from the Prime Minister.
The Prime Ministers post has become ceremonial, people are doing what they like, there is no accountability