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TDP support sees government sail through, LS ratifies President's rule in Bihar

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

With the 12 MPs of the Telugu Desam Party coming to the rescue of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition, the government tonight got the Lok Sabha to ratify the imposition of President's rule in Bihar.

The intermediaries of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had virtually cornered TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu two days ago into giving the government an undertaking that his MPs would support the motion to ratify the dismissal of the Rabri Devi government.

But the TDP members of the Lok Sabha kept their cards close to their chest almost till the very end, causing much speculation about their intentions.

Only during the debate on the motion in the Lok Sabha today did TDP parliamentary party leader K Yerran Naidu make his party's decision to support the government known, allowing the BJP and its allies to heave a sigh of relief.

After the lengthy debate on the issue, Speaker G M C Balayogi called for a division on the motion. While the government and its allies got 193 votes, the opposition spearheaded by the Congress could muster only 170. There were three abstentions.

Though the TDP is ostensibly opposed to the use of Article 356 of the Constitution, the thought of having to take on a resurgent Congress in the assembly election in Andhra Pradesh, where Chandrababu Naidu is chief minister, in November this year made it decide in favour of the Centre.

According to the TDP MPs, the party's decision is bound to have political implications in their home state. The battle lines are now clearly drawn between the TDP and the Congress and Chief Minister Naidu will now try to "break" the opposition party in the state to strengthen his position.

But it remains to be seen if the TDP will be able to retain some of its support among Muslims following its support to the Vajpayee government on the Bihar question.

The prime minister, however, had much cause for cheer today, with Kanshi Ram's Bahujan Samaj Party also supporting its motion on Bihar. The BSP had two reasons for supporting the government. One: President's rule was clamped because of the growing attacks on dalits in the state. Two: The party is loathe to share any platform with arch-rival and Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav.

But the attempts of the government to woo the four MPs of the Indian National Lok Dal of former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala failed, with the party deciding to oppose the motion. As it turned out, however, that made no difference to the final outcome.

While the Shiromani Akali Dal also threw in its lot with the government, the party's chief whip, Prem Singh Chandumajra, expressed his wish to vote against the motion. Later, SAD president and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said action would be initiated against Chandumajra for defying the party's whip.

Though the Vajpayee government has weathered the storm in the Lok Sabha, what its future course of action is going to be will be interesting to watch, given that the motion is certain to be defeated in the Rajya Sabha.

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