RSS may move in to save Vajpayee Govt.

By Harish Khare

NEW DELHI, MARCH 4. The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, is reported to have impressed upon the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leadership to bail his government out of the impasse in Parliament over the Keshubhai Patel Ministry's January 3 notification, permitting state employees to participate in the RSS activities.

It is said that Mr. Vajpayee has almost succeeded in persuading the RSS brass to provide a way out. The Race Course Road establishment and the Jhandewalan establishment are believed to have agreed upon a script: one of the senior RSS functionaries would make a public statement to the effect that the organisation had never asked the Gujarat Government to lift the ban, and that the organisation had the requisite spiritual perseverance to do without the participation of government employees in its activities, and that there would be no objection from its side should the State Government choose to rescind its order. It is pointed out that the RSS leadership was very ``helpful'' in the wake of the controversy generated by the January 3 order, when there was widespread apprehension that even the Vajpayee Government could be contemplating a move similar to the one initiated in Gujarat. That time too, the RSS leadership rather readily agreed to help Mr. Vajpayee defuse the crisis by issuing a statement that the organisation was not interested in the idea (of Central employees participating in the RSS activities).

The usually reliable sources in the Prime Minister's Office suggest that a similar statement of helpfulness is imminent in the next few days; such a statement of intent would provide the Keshubhai Patel Ministry just the fig-leaf of an excuse to rescind its order. Ideally the RSS disclaimer should come before the March 6 rally being planned by the Congress(I); though a section believes that the disclaimer could wait till after March 6 as the Congress(I) was in no position to stage a successful rally.

On its part the RSS leadership reportedly feels sufficiently propitiated by the Prime Minister's clean chit to the organisation as well as by the Union Home Minister, Mr. Advani's stout defence of the RSS in the Rajya Sabha two days ago. Mr. Advani also asserted that the Union Government was not competent enough to issue any direction to a State Government. Having collected all these certificates of good conduct, the RSS leadership now feels it can afford to be reasonable and accommodating.

The Prime Minister is said to have pointed out to the RSS leadership that he and his government were being blamed for the impasse in the Lok Sabha. In particular, Mr. Vajpayee has been faulted for not taking any initiative, in his capacity as the Leader of the House, to break the deadlock over the Opposition demand that the Gujarat order of January 3 be discussed under Rule 184; most of the NDA allies appear reluctant to be seen endorsing the correctness of the Gujarat order. The Telugu Desam, a key ally, is believed to have told the Prime Minister that it could not be expected to vote with the Government should it come to counting heads in the Lok Sabha.

PM to meet allies

The Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, has convened a meeting of leaders of NDA constituents on Monday to discuss ways of sorting out the Opposition demand for a censure discussion on the RSS controversy in a bid to break the standoff in Lok Sabha.

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