Young MPs seize their moment of glory
Archana Masih in Bombay
If nothing else, the crisis at the Centre has brought the young
brood of parliamentarians to the forefront. Shortly after Speaker
Purno A Sangma adjourned the Lok Sabha sine die on Monday, 75 first-term MPs gathered quickly in room number 1 of the Parliament annexe.
With their numbers having increased to 140 two days later, their collective
show of strength has hardly gone unnoticed.
Of the 284 first-term MPs who constitute the 11th Lok Sabha,
47 met President K R Narayanan on Monday evening. The MPs belonged to the BJP, Congress,
Janata Dal and the regional parties. "Our agenda is to prevent
the premature dissolution of the Lok Sabha and look for a viable
solution," says Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the BJP MP from Chapra.
One of the leaders of the campaign, Rudy explains the group of
MPs have no personal or party agenda: "We have risen across
party lines, have established a good rapport and are in a continuous
process of meetings to prevent the dissolution." But he is
quick to clarify that contrary to all reports, the group does
not comprise only first-time MPs: "Ratna Singh, Charan Reddy
from the Congress; Anadicharan Sahu from the Janata Dal are some
old timers who were also present."
Of the two DMK MPs that attended Monday's meeting but did not visit
the President, P Shanmugam said, "I am waiting and watching.
But I don't want the dissolution of the House."
Although there has been no official word from Rashtrapati Bhavan
on the meeting, the MPs say the President's response has been positive.
"The President is a good man. He asked us to put pressure
on our party leadership because he too did not want an election,"
Karnataka Janata Dal MP Shivanand H Koujalgi said in a telephone interview. "He
said his duty was to see that the country had a functioning
government."
On Tuesday evening, 98 first-term MPs signed a three-line memorandum against the dissolution of the Lok Sabha over the Jain Commission report. 'Cutting across party lines, we, members of Parliament, are of the view that the present Lok Sabha should not be dissolved. The President should find some alternative solution. We think the country cannot afford elections at this juncture,' the memorandum said.
MPs from the Asom Gana Parishad, Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Janata Dal and the Kerala Congress signed the memorandum.
Many of the MPs Rediff On The NeT spoke to said they fear going to the polls because they do not have any issues to approach the electorate.
"We feel a mid-term poll will be waveless and issueless and therefore will help no political party in particular," says Vishakapatnam Congress MP T Subbirami Reddy.
According to Reddy, in the last 18 months, most first-time MPs did not have opportunities to take up issues affecting their respective constituencies in Parliament. "How can you expect us to go to the people empty-handed?" he asked.
As claimed, 24 Congress MPs formed the largest chunk of the group
that met the President. A move that some observers interpreted as
indicative of the party's tacit support to the move. Another indication
of Congress support, they said, was the reported presence of Youth Congress
president and Baroda MP Satyajitsinh Gaekwad at the meeting. But Gaekwad
who is close to Congress president Sitaram Kesri, denied his presence
at the meeting.
"I was never there," Gaekwad said. However, he defended the right of his party colleagues to be present at the meeting. "If they met the President," the Youth Congress chief said, "it does not mean they are not with the party. They just don't want the Lok Sabha to be dissolved. Even the Congress does not want dissolution,
but it remains firm on the DMK stand."
"Most young Congress MPs have asked me to plead with the party leadership to avoid an election," he added. Gaekwad presented the submissions of these MPs to Kesri on Wednesday.
However, the initial enthusiasm of the young Congress MPs has
waned considerably. In a harsh letter to Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy, chairman of the party's disciplinary
action committee, Rajya Sabha member
Hanumantha Rao has demanded action against Subbirami Reddi and
other Congress MPs who met the President.
'By going along with the BJP and DMK MPs, party discipline
has been broken. I request you to take strong action so that such
incidents do not take place,' Rao said in his letter. To which,
Subbirami Reddi has a scathing retort. "Who is this
fellow to make such an irresponsible statement? He is saying this
because he wants an election. He is just one of the thousands
of party members. The Congress cannot hear something from some
member and take action against me."
Some Congress leaders say the move to build up a forum of first-time MPs was initiated by the BJP.
"We have definite information that the BJP is working overtime to split the Congress. Therefore, we would like very much to guard our MPs against BJP machinations," Congress general secretary Oscar Fernandes said. Congress leaders like Fernandes believe the BJP move was to estimate how many MPs would support the party if the President asked it to form a government.
But BJP vice-president O Rajagopal, MP, denied that his party had any hand in mobilising the MPs. "No political party and MP wants an election to be held at this time because of the stupidity of the Congress," he said.
A day after their meeting with the President, the MPs started
a signature campaign to garner greater support for their campaign.
Rudy says 140 MPs have already signed the memorandum.
"An alternative solution to the dissolution of the House," says a concerned Koujalgi,
"could be the formation of a national government in proportion
with party seats. But then the BJP and Congress will form the
major chunk of the government; parties like the JD will only
get one or two seats."
The MPs also floated a forum against dissolution of the Lok Sabha at their meeting on Wednesday morning. This time there were fewer Congress MPs present.
In Rudy's estimate there were around a dozen Congress MPs present this morning. "The Congress is restless. This decrease in their ranks could be because of the pressure from the party leadership," explained the BJP MP.
The MPs also met Speaker Sangma who assured them that he would communicate their feelings to the President in writing. The newly floated
'Forum of Parliamentarians opposed to dissolution of the Lok Sabha'
consists of one MP from the Akali Dal, BJP, Bahujan Samaj Party, Haryana Vikas Party, Shiv
Sena, Samajwadi Janata Party, and two Independents. The Congress is yet to name its representative.
Confident as they are of their growing strength; the rapid
developments at their end; and their first-ever exposure in national politics, for this
young brood their part in the Great Indian Political Carnival
has just about begun.
Additional reportage: George Iype in Delhi
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