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AIADMK to vote for JPC in Lok Sabha

N Sathiya Moorthy in Madras

All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary J Jayalalitha today warned the BJP not to test her patience, promising to derail the coalition government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee if it does so.

"The coalition is a train, the AIADMK is the engine, and the BJP is only the driver," she said in a strongly worded speech at the end of a day of confabulations in the party general council. "We will throw out the driver if he misbehaves and run it [the train] with a new driver and new bogies, if it comes to that."

Later, Jayalalitha told waiting reporters, "We will vote for a JPC [joint parliamentary committee] probe into the Bhagwat issue in the Lok Sabha. Whether it is from within the government or outside, you will have to wait and watch."

She promised "exciting developments" in the days to come.

Earlier in the day, the general council adopted a resolution authorising Jayalalitha to work out new alliance strategies. It did not specify whether the reference was to new strategies in the existing alliance or strategies for a new alliance.

But the resolution specifically demanded the removal of Defence Minister George Fernandes and the reinstatement of Vishnu Bhagwat as the naval chief. It also demanded the constitution of a JPC to investigate the allegations made by Bhagwat against Fernandes.

With today's developments, Jayalalitha has taken the Vajpayee government back to the precipice from which it had inched back only two days ago. She has also brought the focus back on Bhagwat's dismissal from the Kumaramangalam row that had intervened.

"The prime minister has only distanced himself from Kumaramangalam's statement," Jayalalitha told reporters. "He has not condemned it." Other speakers at the general council meeting expressed similar views. They warned that the AIADMK would not respect any force that does not show "due respect" to Jayalalitha.

Jayalalitha now seems to be awaiting a hint from the Congress for her to change boats mid-stream. The Congress is believed to be in touch with her through intermediaries. Each side seems to be making cautious moves, not wanting to be used by the other.

Said an AIADMK politician: "The Congress seems to be more interested in exposing the fragility of the Vajpayee government, to underline that the Congress party alone can provide a stable government at the Centre. There is also no guarantee as yet on the Congress's willingness to form an alternative government, and our participation in it."

Likewise, the Congress also wants to be assured that the AIADMK is not using it, either to settle scores with the BJP or to pressure the latter to yield more ground and boons.

Questions also remain on Jayalalitha's reference to the BJP "testing my patience". "It cannot obviously stop with the Fernandes issue, or the Bhagwat row," a political observer said. "It's possibly a coded message for the BJP and Prime Minister Vajpayee, for which they alone may have the answers."

The AIADMK, however, does not want to take the blame for the collapse of the Vajpayee government, and so has put the ball in the BJP's court. A section of the party leadership felt that the BJP would have little choice but to stand firm on the Bhagwat-Fernandes issue, thus legitimising the AIADMK's withdrawal of support and joining hands with the Congress to form an alternative government.

But there are others who still feel that all is not lost for Vajpayee. They pointed out that Jayalalitha had continued her support without a whimper after promising to 'review' it at least once earlier.

But they too concede that this is by far the biggest step the AIADMK has taken in moving away from the BJP, and closer to the Congress. "Jayalalitha has as good as crossed the Rubicon. Now it is for the BJP to relocate the Rubicon, or face the consequences," the observer said.

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