Fate Of Bjp Govt In Gujarat Hangs In Balance

Thwarted in the house, where Chief Minister Suresh Mehta had been prepared to prove his majority, the BJP paraded 94 MLAs at Raj Bhawan in the evening. The governor sent them to the assembly secretary for verification. Dabhi had adjourned the house sine die after recognising the split and again adjourned the house when the Speaker ordered from his sick bed that it reconvene in the afternoon.

A rival group, led by Congress house leader Amarsinh Chau-dhary, rebel leader Dilip Parekh and independent Mulrajsinh Parmar, asked the governor on behalf of 102 MLAs, to dismiss the government. They claimed to represent 44 Congress MLAs and 46 of the MahaGujarat Janata Party (led by expelled leader Shankersinh Vaghela's protege, Dilip Parekh) and 12 of the 16 independents.

In panic, BJP leaders challenged Dabhi's ruling, insisting on the confidence motion that had been slated as the day's highlight. The party forced the adjournment of both houses of Parliament and, in the evening, Party President LK Advani went to President SD Sharma, seeking his intervention.

Party MPs chanted slogans against the centre in Parliament, alleging a conspiracy involving the United Front and the Congress, to prop up Shakersinh Vaghela, who the BJP recently expelled.

The party's trauma seemed likely to last, though. Gujarat Raj Bhawan declared that Singh had been advised three days complete rest by doctors.

The Centre indicated that it would not intervene but sources said President's rule was likely soon after Parliament's session ends on September 13.

Dabhi had taken the party's managers, who were prepared to prove their majority on the floor of the house, by declaring that he was recognising the 46 MLAs who had written to the Speaker expressing their loss of faith in the Suresh Mehta-led government, as a separate group.

Dabhi, who was elected on a Congress ticket, was in the chair because Speaker HL Patel, who was elected on a BJP ticket, was in the intensive care unit of a private nursing home, where he is being treated for a brain tumour. There had been an attempt to have him preside but his doctors overruled it.

Dabhi told the house Parikh had submitted the memorandum to him before the commencement of the session. Earlier, minister for parliamentary affairs bhupendra singh chudasma was seen distributing the bjp whip to legislators but when mr vipul chaudhary and mr vithal bhai shah of the splinter group tore it up. The other mgjp mlas refused to accept it.

Dhabi's ruling technically reduced the Mehta government from a two-thirds majority to a minority of 74 in the 180-member assembly but 18 of the 46 MLAs who originally declared their intention to support Parekh on August 18 had changed their minds since. All 18 were with Mehta at Raj Bhawan in the evening, though political circles spoke of continuing horse trading on both sides.

Dabhi's ruling saved the breakaway group from the threat of disqualification if they voted against the BJP whip, apart from automatically reducing the ruling party to a minority in the house. The ground was laid for it by a high court order the previous day staying the disqualification of 12 MLAs, who had been expelled by the BJP.