PM does some plain-speaking to NDA

By Harish Khare

NEW DELHI, AUG. 1. If yesterday the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee had laid himself open to a bit of ridicule by first threatening to resign and then all too quickly agreeing to stay put, today he reclaimed some of his prestige. And if in the days to come he can prove that he means what he said to the NDA coalition partners this morning, he could well reclaim some of his eroded authority. And, that is a big if, as the evening was to show.

The Prime Minister reportedly told the NDA partners that he was no longer willing to lead the pack if it meant that the old ways would remain unmended. More than what he said, it was Mr. Vajpayee's tone that conveyed a message to the allies that he was no longer willing to put up with any kind of non- sense from the NDA corner. The general assessment is that at least till the next crisis, the Prime Minister has reasserted his personal authority.

Buoyed up by the handsome tributes from the Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, and from Mr. George Fernandes, the Prime Minister confidently informed the two houses of Parliament that the chapter was closed. In the Rajya Sabha, where the Opposition had forced him to make a statement, Mr. Vajpayee told the members that he had received the `unanimous' re-endorsement of the NDA.

Squandering authority

However, even before the day was over and the political parlours could appreciate the Prime Minister's assertiveness, there came the communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan, announcing that Mr. Digvijay Singh, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, was also to have the additional charge of Railways. It has been the most widely known secret that Mr. Digvijay was unhappy that he had been shifted out of Railways and given Commerce (in the mini reshuffle of portfolios, effected by the Prime Minister on July 22).

Indeed Mr. Singh refused to take up his new charge, and it was only after nearly a week that he agreed to visit his offices in Udyog Bhavan. Mr. Singh is generally known to be a protege of Mr. George Fernandes, and his show of defiance in being shifted to the Ministry of Commerce was seen as being instigated by the NDA convener. However, Mr. Singh also enjoys the patronage of another stalwart, Mr. Bhairon Singh Shekhwat of the BJP. It is not yet known which patron was able to secure for Mr. Singh the second Ministry.

At the end of the day, Mr. Vajpayee had practically undone the impact of this morning's harsh words and tough tone. What is more, the numbers in the Lok Sabha - the core of the NDA's precariousness - remain unchanged. Nor can the `unanimous' support from the NDA allies change the trouble on the health front, to which Mr. Vajpayee himself referred in such graphic terms. The retreat on the Digvijay Singh front has once again shown Mr. Vajpayee himself unwilling to exercise the prerogatives and power inherent in the office of the Prime Minister.

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