The Hindu : Prove majority, Deshmukh told

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 05, 2002

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Prove majority, Deshmukh told

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI JUNE 4. The Maharashtra Governor, P.C. Alexander, has asked the Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh, to prove his Government's majority on the floor of the Legislative Assembly "quickly" and certainly within the next 10 days. Accompanied by the Deputy Chief Minister, Chagan Bhujbal, Mr. Deshmukh who met the Governor on his summons agreed immediately to convene a special session. The dramatic turn topped a day of hectic political activity when the coalition Democratic Front Government tried to shore up its strength by inducting three Independents as Ministers even as more and more MLAs were quitting the Government.

There were conflicting claims of majority support by both the ruling front and the Opposition Shiv Sena-BJP combine — the latter was gaining support by the hour. Mr. Deshmukh claimed the support of 147 MLAs and the rivals "at least 148" in a House of 288.

Dr. Alexander found the rival claims too close to be taken at face value and hence the decision to summon the Assembly. Horse-trading had started and a startled Nationalist Congress Party leader, Sharad Pawar, who left for New Delhi this morning, returned post-haste to shore up the coalition.

Earlier in the day, hours after Mr. Deshmukh inducted three Independent MLAs into the Government, four NCP MLAs met the Governor in the company of the BJP's Gopinath Munde and the Shiv Sena's Narayan Rane and told him that they too were withdrawing support. They are Narayan Pawar, Shivajirao Naik, Narsingh Patil and Vikas Kore.

Obviously, the induction of three Independents — Patil (Cabinet rank), Vinayak Jadhav-Patil and Shivajirao Kardile (both Minister of State) — did not check the withering away of support.

The Opposition claimed the support of 148 MLAs, including six independents, who have switched sides. Gangaram Thakarwad of the Janata Dal (Secular) has split his two-member legislature party and formed his own Maharashtra Janata Dal and moved into the Sena-BJP camp. The other Janata Dal (S) member, Dada Jadavrao, is a Minister of State. The four NCP MLAs, who withdrew support, are part of the "17 such MLAs from the NCP who have been our sympathisers for nearly three years'', says Mr. Munde. The four cannot be "faulted under the anti-defection law since they merely withdrew support'', Mr. Munde claimed.

Mr. Deshmukh told The Hindu that the CPI(M) and the Peasants & Workers Party, despite withdrawing support, "would not be voting with the Opposition because they know it would bring the Sena-BJP misrule back to Maharashtra.

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