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BJP, allies close ranks to pass Bihar motion in LS

George Iype in New Delhi

Undeterred by the Congress party's decision to oppose the imposition of President's rule in Bihar, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government today mounted pressure on its coalition partners to support the motion in the Lok Sabha on Friday to ratify central rule.

With the opposition having closed ranks to put the 11-month-old government on the mat, the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership is reconciled to the defeat of its motion in the Rajya Sabha.

Though the Telugu Desam Party has not yet issued an official statement supporting the government, the pressing of the panic button has forced party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to relent.

Prime Minister Vajpayee, Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, and Defence Minister George Fernandes all spoke to Naidu on the phone today, telling him the TDP holds the balance of power in the Lower House. Naidu reportedly assured them his party would not take any drastic step.

Vajpayee is believed to have told Naidu that he would be forced to quit if the TDP decides to vote against the ratification motion. Naidu agreed and said the TDP would either vote for the motion or abstain.

While the prime minister held a lengthy Cabinet meeting today to chalk out the strategy to save his government, top BJP politicians and coalition partners also met separately to expose "the double standards of the Congress".

With the TDP agreeing not to oppose the motion, and the Bahujan Samaj Party deciding to support it, the government is certain the Lok Sabha will ratify President's rule, even if by a slender margin. And Vajpayee, after several rounds of talks with the BJP leadership, his Cabinet colleagues, and coalition politicians, has decided not to bow out even if the ratification motion is defeated in the Rajya Sabha.

/ Defeat in the Upper House is certain for the government. While the BJP and its allies have just 70 seats, the Congress has 75 and the Left and third front parties together hold 100.

BJP members of Parliament also told Vajpayee there is no question of the government resigning on moral grounds, since it is the Congress party that lacks moral standards.

"Instead we will allow the proclamation of President's rule to be automatically revoked by our defeat in the Rajya Sabha. We want to ensure that the Congress is again forced to support the Rabri Devi government in Bihar," a BJP functionary said.

The party believes it will be embarrassing for the Congress to support the Rashtriya Janata Dal after Sonia Gandhi's declaration that the Rabri Devi regime had lost its moral right to continue in office.

The Bihar state page

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