Premium
This is an archive article published on November 25, 2000

Gujralisation of Vajpayee

After his successful surgery at Breach Candy, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has been up and about, yet he has been bending his knees...

.

After his successful surgery at Breach Candy, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has been up and about, yet he has been bending his knees a bit too often. Ironically, it is the allies within the ruling NDA rather than his adversaries who have been busy flexing their muscles and attempting to arm twist the government on one or the other issue. The problem is that the Vajpayee government has begun caving in on some important occasions. This has led to embarrassments and ditherings over public policies, in fact even roll backs despite promises of no roll backs. Either it is Mamata or Samata, Chautala or Naidu, Manohar Joshi or Ram Vilas Paswan, Sharad Yadav or some other ally.

Consider the long list of pressure points: Mamata wants a roll back of LPG and kerosene price hike, Naidu demands the slashing of diesel prices; Om Prakash Chautala refuses to endorse the NDA’s coordination panel decisions, Ram Vilas Paswan keeps himself away from critical meetings dealing with privatisation of telecom; Shiv Sena leader and Union Industry Minister Manohar Joshi gives a completely different interpretation on the disinvestment of the Maruti to that given by the Cabinet committee. The list is simply endless.

Some of the pinpricks have even emerged from within the Sangh Parivar and even the BJP. The Swadeshi versus the Videshi lobbies within the Sangh Parivar have been playing a see-saw game for all to see. Similarly the Mandal versus the Kamandal groups have been wrestling with each other whether in UP or in MP. Each time the government bends to the demands from one section of allies and supporters, it begins to appear much more vulnerable to other sections. Some argue that it is because of the ‘once bitten, twice shy syndrome’. After all, it was Vajpayee’s refusal to dismiss Karunanidhi’s government and his inflexibility over her other demands that had miffed the then ally, AIADMK leader Jayalalitha. She took her revenge by withdrawing support from the government in 1999. True, the government lost, but Vajpayee’s personal popularity has soared ever since. Additionally, the NDA came to power in 1999.

All through the first year of his new term Vajpayee came out with flying colours, both in his handling of foreign and domestic issues. Even those who opposed him admired him for his resoluteness. From the decision to explode the nuclear bomb to bus diplomacy, and from going the whole hog on liberalisation, despite the swadeshi pressures, to shelving the issue of building a temple at Ayodhya, Vajpayee proved that he was his own man. Unfortunately, the same person today appears a shadow of what he once was, providing credence to the theory that the honeymoon period is, indeed, over. Coalition governments have vulnerability inbuilt in them. The V.P. Singhs and the Gowdas tripped and fell over internal squabbles. I.K. Gujral, during his six months at the helm, set records in trying to satisfy each and every section that supported him, which included the fodder scamsters. Vajpayee’s latest ditherings seem to be a lesson in the Gujralisation of the government. It is high time that the prime minister assertedhimself and proved to be the first among equals.

Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement