A newly released book brings out how Atal Bihari Vajpayee narrowly survived an internal challenge within the NDA after his 13-month government fell by a single vote in April 1999, and why no alternative government could eventually be formed despite the Opposition having the numbers.
In the book ‘Atal Sansmaran’, Ashok Tandon, who served in Vajpayee’s Prime Minister’s Office as in-charge of media relations, recounts that there were murmurs within the NDA that the alliance should attempt to stake a fresh claim to power with the support of new parties. Even if it meant replacing Vajpayee.
The argument, Tandon writes, was that “if the United Front government (which preceded the NDA’s) could replace HD Deve Gowda as Prime Minister with IK Gujral, why could the NDA not do the same” to explore forming an alternative government.
The extracts were published by a national daily.
The move, the report adds, was immediately blocked by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and MDMK leader Vaiko, who were supported by BJD chief Naveen Patnaik.
The proposal was rejected outright with the assertion that there would be “No NDA government without Vajpayee”. Patnaik also took the same position.
Tandon writes that Banerjee and Vaiko were unwavering in their defence of Vajpayee. “Mamata Banerjee and Vaiko could go to any extent to defend Vajpayee, be it at an NDA forum or a public rally.
Mamata considered him a father figure and freely poured her heart out when she spoke with him.”
According to Tandon, it remained unclear within the PMO who was behind the effort to replace Vajpayee. The book also explains why no alternative government could be formed after the Vajpayee coalition fell, despite the combined Opposition having the numbers.
Tandon writes that Congress president Sonia Gandhi attempted to form a government but later felt betrayed by the Left, after which she refused to support any ‘third front’ parties.
The “betrayal”, Tandon writes, stemmed from Gandhi learning that while CPI(M) leader Harkishan Singh Surjeet encouraged her to stake claim to form the government after Vajpayee’s fall, he simultaneously prodded Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to say he would not support her as Prime Minister.
Tandon cites IK Gujral’s book Matters of Discretion to state that Surjeet wanted Jyoti Basu to be Prime Minister. Gujral also wrote that he had cautioned Gandhi on April 20, 1999, not to be “naive” and trust the Left, saying it would betray her at the last moment.
According to Tandon, Surjeet shared a list of 288 MPs with Gandhi who were supposedly ready to support the Congress and asked her to stake claim. Acting on this, Gandhi met President KR Narayanan on April 21, 1999, and told him she had the support of 272 members, with more expected to join.
However, the next day, Mulayam Singh Yadav and the Left bloc’s Revolutionary Socialist Party and Forward Bloc vetoed Gandhi’s name, indicating that their 28 MPs would not support the Congress if she became Prime Minister.
Tandon writes that while Surjeet wanted Basu as PM, he also had a Plan B in case the West Bengal Chief Minister refused — President Narayanan, whose candidature would have been difficult to deny given his stature and the fact that he was a Dalit.
Further, Tandon notes that Gandhi felt she had been “used” to topple the Vajpayee government and to install a “Third Front”-led government. She then made it clear that she would not accept any government not led by the Congress. The stalemate resulted in the country going in for fresh elections, after which Vajpayee returned to power for a full five-year term.
The book also recounts that during Vajpayee’s first full term, the BJP suggested that he take over as President and hand over the Prime Ministership to his deputy, LK Advani. Vajpayee, Tandon writes, refused.
“Vajpayee was not ready for this. He believed that for any popular prime minister, becoming President by virtue of majority would not be a good sign for Indian parliamentary democracy. It would set a very wrong precedent, and he would be the last person to support such a move.”
Tandon records that Vajpayee then invited Congress leaders to build consensus for the post of President. “I remember that Sonia Gandhi, Pranab Mukherjee, and Dr Manmohan Singh came to meet him. Vajpayee officially revealed for the first time that the NDA had decided to nominate Dr APJ Abdul Kalam as their candidate for the presidential election…”
“There was a moment of silence… Then Sonia Gandhi broke the silence and said that they were surprised by his choice, and that they had no option but to support him, but they would discuss his proposal and then make a decision.”
On Vajpayee’s relationship with Advani, Tandon mentions that despite differences on some policy issues, the relationship between them never soured.
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