DMK denies cross-voting in veep election
N Sathiya Moorthy in Madras
No member belonging to the Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam was involved in cross-voting or invalidation of
the ballot paper at the vice-presidential poll held on Saturday,
party sources assert. Nor was there any 'secret missive' from
the DMK leadership to this effect, these sources add.
''No one has made any such charge and no one can ever make one,''
one party official said, when asked to comment on the possibility
of cross-voting or invalidation of votes by 17 DMK members of
Parliament, all of them from the Lok Sabha. ''We are with the United
Front and we followed the UF decision taken after consultations."
Vice-President Krishna Kant, the UF-Congress candidate, polled 74 votes less than the coalition's combined strength of 551 MPs. Against this, the losing Akali Dal nominee Surjeet Singh Barnala polled 273 votes, 45 more than the combined strength
of the parties backing him led by the Bharatiya Janata Party. There were also 46 invalid votes.
''There could be no truth in any possible claim or charge that
the DMK as a party or its MPs privately voted for Barnala, or
invalidated their votes in frustration against the leadership's
decision,'' adds the party source with vehemence. The proposition
flows from Barnala's near-saviour like role as Tamil Nadu governor
when the Chandra Shekhar regime at the Centre dismissed
the two-year-old Karunanidhi-led DMK state government in January
1991.
''True, we honoured Barnala for his principled refusal to sign
on the dotted line, recommending dismissal of the state government.
But now he is aligned with the 'communal BJP', and we are part
of the ruling coalition opposing the same. There is no confusion
about our priorities,'' adds the DMK official.
In defence, he refers to Barnala's statement
that Karunanidhi refused to take his telephone calls
seeking support. ''Barnala even called on Tamil Maanila Congress
chief G K Moopanar and did not follow it up with a visit
to Karunanidhi," points out the source. ''Maybe he was also
understanding enough, not to embarrass the chief minister, given
the past equation and our present political compulsions."
As for individual DMK members of the electoral college revolting
against the leadership's decision silently, the party official says
that the MPs are too disciplined and cadre-based
for anyone to complain. ''Ours is a democratic set-up. There is
a voice for everyone, though the leadership is given the freedom
and right to take crucial decisions.''
Implied in this explanation is the message that no
member of a cadre-based party can afford to antagonise the leadership
and do political business thereafter. ''True, the sentiments of
some of our MPs, as also a section of the leadership, was in
Barnala's favour. But the political compulsions were there
for everyone to see, and there was not even a murmur or protest,'' he said.
Incidentally, another source says that Barnala could have
got more votes than the 45 additional votes he won last Saturday.
Says one source: ''Most people seem
to forget that the Shiv Sena did not vote for Barnala, though
its a partner in the BJP-led alliance, thus accounting for a
total of 238 votes. I have also reason to believe that some BJP members voted against Barnala for whatever reason.''
According to this source, some Congress and Janata Dal members resorted to cross-voting, if only to embarrass
their respective leaderships. ''If the Deve Gowda faction in the
Janata Dal wanted to embarrass Prime Minister I K Gujral, the Nehru-Gandhi
loyalists in the Congress did not take kindly to party
chief Sitaram Kesri backing the candidature of Kishan Kant, a
loyalist-turned-opponent of Indira Gandhi."
RELATED REPORT:
Krishan Kant sworn in as vice-president
EARLIER LINK:
The S S Barnala Chat
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