Recommendation? 'DISSOLUTION' says president to Vajpayee.
Recommend dissolution, President tells Vajpayee
New Delhi, April 25 (Shekhar Iyer)
President K.R. Narayanan told Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee that he did not see any scope for an alternative government and wanted the Union Cabinet to recommend dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
The President did not discuss the question of second invitation for Mr Vajpayee, making it clear that he had made up his mind on ordering fresh elections to the House. Mr Vajpayee said this to the leaders of the BJP and its allies after his meeting with Mr Narayanan this evening.
Alliance sources quoted Mr Vajpayee as saying that Mr Narayanan had come to the conclusion that there was no room for experimenting with another coalition because the anti-BJP parties had been unable to work out unitedly an alternative formation. Mr Vajpayee was upset that Mr Narayanan did not elicit his views on fresh elections or discuss the question of accretion of numbers on the side of the BJP for a second invitation.
Mr Narayanan opened the discussion by detailing what each political leader had told him in the last two days. At the end, he said he did not think any alternative government was possibile. The Cabinet should recommend dissolution of the House, he said. Mr Vajpayee told the President that he had only one request to make. The elections should be held as early as possible. The President nooded in agreement. Mr Vajpayee told the BJP leaders that the Union Cabinet would meet at 12 noon to carry out the wishes of the President. It would recommend dissolution of the Lok Sabha and fresh elections.
Asked if the BJP was ready to face fresh elections, BJP general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu told The Hindustan Times that “we are ready for any eventuality.” “The Prime Minister's popularity is skyhigh. The BJP's name is skyhigh. We are ready for any challenge,” Mr Naidu said. Leaders of the BJP and its allies, who discussed tonight the question of dissolution of the Lok Sabha, said the atmosphere in the country was sympathetic for the Prime Minister and outgoing Government in the absence of a viable alternative and disinclination of the President to invite Mr Vajpayee again to form the government.
Earlier in the day, the BJP leaders were counting on the possibility of a presidential invitation to Mr Vajpayee again. They said some independent MPs, who voted against the Government, were willing to back Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee to avert dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
hindustantimes.com
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