Vajpayee leads MPs against dissolution

NEW DELHI, November 25: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies today urged President K R Narayanan, not to take any hasty step''...

NEW DELHI, November 25: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies today urged President K R Narayanan, not to take any “hasty step” towards dissolution of the Lok Sabha.

Leader of the Opposition, Atal Behari Vajpayee, who led a delegation of BJP and its supporting parties, later told newsmen that the President had assured them that he would discuss the matter with the Opposition parties before taking any decision. Vajpayee asked the President to take into account the “sentiments” of the first timers in the Lok Sabha who had urged him not to dissolve the House yesterday. BJP president L K Advani, who was part of the delegation, said the first timers elected for five years, were concerned at the abrupt end of their tenure if the House was dissolved.

Asked if BJP would stake claim to form the Government, the two BJP leaders said that they would certainly examine the possibilities if the situation arises. Replying to a query if their stand was contrary to the earlier position that BJP was for mid-term polls, Advani said “Whether to go for elections or not depends on the United Front and Congress. But we are preparing for elections also.”

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The BJP leaders also told the President that efforts were on for a patch up between the United front and the Congress to avert the crisis. The President however, told the delegation that he officially had no clue of what was going on between the Front and the Congress to resolve the political crisis, Advani said.

The delegation informed the President that it was the first time in India’s parliamentary history that a concerned speaker had to adjourn the Lok Sabha sine die without taking the political parties in confidence.

Advani said that BJP was for discussion in Parliament on the interim report of the Jain Commission probing the security aspect of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. Akali Dal leader S S Barnala, Shiv Sena leader Madhukar Sarpotdar, Samta Party leader George Fernandes and Haryana Vikas Party leader Surender Singh were part of the delegation. Later, talking to newsmen, BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Jaswant Singh, blamed the Congress and United Front for violating the presidential communique of April 20, which stated that the two would set up a coordination committee.