Ending days of uncertainty, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) yesterday declared that senior BJP leader Kalyan Singh would succeed Mayawati as Uttar Pradesh chief minister on September 21.
Assembly speaker Kesrinath Tripathi would continue in his post, according to a joint statement issued by presidents of both parties, L K Advani (BJP) and Kanshi Ram (BSP) at a joint press conference yesterday. Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Kalyan Singh, and Mayawati were also present at the conference.
As per the March 19, 1997 agreement between the two parties, they are to share the chief ministership on a six-monthly basis for one year. The BSP, however, has been wary of transferring the chief ministers post to the BJP. The BSP, which completes its six-monthly term on September 20, wanted a BSP leader to be made the speaker.
Both Advani and Kanshi Ram declared that they were committed to a smooth transition in accordance with the agreement. We affirm that both parties are abiding by this pact in all respects. The post of the speaker as well as the allocation of portfolios shall proceed in accordance with the terms agreed upon earlier, they said in a joint statement.
Kanshi Ram said in reply to a query that the speakers post was not discussed during his talks with Advani and Vajpayee when the agreement was finalised in March because of which there was a communication gap. Later, he expressed satisfaction at the assurances given by the BJP to allay BSPs fears.
Both BJP and BSP unequivocally reject these practices. We believe in honest coalitions formed through open agreements and based upon mutual respect. The BSP had apprehensions that if the chief minister and the speaker belong to the same party, defections may take place from other parties. The leadership of the BJP allayed these fears by categorically affirming that this would not happen, the statement said. We both commit that we will not encourage defection, Advani declared.
Both parties bind themselves in a mutual guarantee, specifically vowing not to encourage defections. The leaders of both parties are unanimous in this resolve, the statement said.
We realise that we live in a time when Raj Bhawans and speakers chambers are made the venues for political conspiracies. Destabilisers and defectors have a field day when horse-trading, sheep-stealing and withdrawal of support at convenient times become the order of the day, they added.
Advani stressed that the coalition arrangement was a new experiment intended to provide good governance in the state. He praised Mayawatis term as chief minister, hailing her as the one who worked for the upliftment of the poor and the weak. He said Kalyan Singh would continue the task. A government runs on the principle on continuity, he added.
He claimed that the BJPs objective was to bridge the gap in the Hindu society between the sawarnas (upper castes) and the Dalits. The coming together of these two parties would benefit Hindu society, he said, adding that BJP was interested in an alliance at the national level with BSP.
While Advani said he was optimistic about a BJP-BSP alliance for parliamentary elections, Kanshi Ram was cautious. He said the alliance in UP was only mid-way as the March agreement provided that the arrangement would be reviewed at the end of one year. I cant give a full reply, he added.
The BSP chief dismissed suggestions that his credibility would be affected by frequent changes in his stance. The Dalit society had been ill-treated for centuries, he said, adding that now there was a need for them to be very cautious.
Secret pact for smooth transfer Senior BJP and BSP leaders have entered into a secret deal to achieve a smooth transfer of power in Uttar Pradesh, according to some BJP leaders.
Besides committing not to encourage defections or accept support from defectors of other political parties, BJP also promised not to disturb key transfers and postings effected by Mayawati, they held. The commitment was made by Vajpayee and Advani to Kanshi Ram and Mayawati.
The Ambedkar village scheme launched by Mayawati would not be disturbed and Kalyan Singh would provide adequate funds to all the villages adopted by her before quitting office, one BJP leader said. Asked to comment on transfers and postings of key state bureaucrats, Singh said that this is the chief ministers prerogative. We never interfered with Mayawati, he added.
