Rediff On The NeT: Congress, RLM meet President, seek trust-vote


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April 14, 1999

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Congress, RLM meet President, seek trust-vote

A delegation of leaders of the opposition today requested President K R Narayanan to direct Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to seek a vote of confidence tomorrow itself since his coalition government had lost the moral and political authority to rule.

Leader of the Opposition Sharad Pawar and Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha leaders Laloo Prasad Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav, who were part of the delegation told newspersons after the half-an-hour meeting: ''Let the government fall and we will decide within an hour to form an alternative government''.

The leaders said they had put forth their point of view to the President, that with the withdrawal of support by the AIADMK, Indian National Lok Dal and Subramanian Swamy, the government was in minority and hence should resign.

The leaders said no business can be taken up in Parliament from tomorrow as the government is in a minority.

The President, the leaders said, heard the delegation patiently and assured them that he would take an appropriate decision after consulting constitutional experts.

Asked whether the President inquired if they were ready to form an alternative government immediately, Laloo Prasad Yadav said though the question was not asked, it was very clear that ''we will form the government collectively soon after the ouster of the Vajpayee government. How long will we carry the load of such a communal government.''

The delegation included leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Sharad Pawar, Arjun Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, Manmohan Singh, P J Kurien, P Shiv Shanker, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Laloo Prasad Yadav, Indrajit Gupta, Somnath Chatterjee and Avni Roy.

Shiv Shanker contended that the opposition would stall the proceedings of Parliament from tomorrow and would not allow any proceedings till the government sought a vote of confidence.

Pawar said Atal Bihari Vajpayee was invited by the president to form the government only after the AIADMK had conveyed its decision to support the BJP-led coalition in writing and now since she has walked out, there was no question of the government continuing any more.

Later, Muslim League members of Parliament G M Banatwala and E Ahmed called on Narayanan and urged him to direct Vajpayee to resign, failing which he should be asked to seek a vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha.

The two MPs said the prime minister had not met the President ever since the withdrawal of support by the AIADMK. They were of the view that it was not the opposition's job to prove majority, but it was the moral accountability of the government to seek a fresh confidence of the house.

Meanwhile, AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha said the opposition will move a no-confidence motion only if President K R Narayanan rejected their demand to direct Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to seek a vote of confidence.

Talking to newspersons after her 30-minute meeting with CPI-M general secretary H S Surjeet, Jayalalitha said the opposition's first priority will be to bring down the BJP-led ruling coalition.

Asked what role she envisaged for her party in the alternative government, the AIADMK leader said, "Let the Vajpayee government fall and the modalities would then be worked out."

She, however, parried questions on the nature of talks she had with Surjeet, saying the meeting was cordial. The CPI-M has been in a dilemma over the AIADMK's participation in a alternative government since it would mean the DMK, its ally, would part company with them.

DMK president M Karunanidhi has made it clear that his party would have nothing to do with a set-up in which the AIADMK is a part.

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