The Hindu : A game of one-upmanship

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 12, 2002

National

National

A game of one-upmanship

By K. K. Katyal

NEW DELHI JUNE 11. Whether or not there would be national consensus on the NDA's ``final'' choice for the Presidency — A.P.J. Abdul Kalam — will be known after a while. But the goings-on in the ruling camp at the earlier stages were patently clumsy — and avoidably so. It would be hard to get rid of the bad taste in the mouth, thus caused even if consensus is finally achieved on his name.

The emergence of Dr. Kalam in the last phase is the outcome of the game of one-upmanship in the ruling combine (including the outside supporters). Over two months ago, the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, indicated his preference for Dr. Kalam, but sections of the BJP known for their hard line scotched the incipient move and mounted pressure in favour of P.C. Alexander, the Governor of Maharashtra, for whom the Shiv Sena somewhat inexplicably had developed a great liking. Dr. Alexander became a forerunner not because of his distinguished record as a bureaucrat but because of the blessings of the Shiv Sena supremo. The Opposition firmly rejected the move and, as such, a consensus on him was out of question.

The Prime Minister seized upon this situation and suggested elevation of the Vice-President, Krishan Kant. Soon it became a serious proposition — so much so that this was conveyed to the Congress(I), and its positive reaction seemed to pave the way for his emergence as a consensus candidate. The BJP hardliners — their representatives in the Union Cabinet not excluded — promptly shot down the proposal, throwing their weight behind Dr. Alexander. This enraged the Telugu Desam and its leader, Chandrababu Naidu, who made known his displeasure at the cavalier handling of the consensus move. The NDA could not afford alienation of the Telugu Desam, given its thin margin over the Opposition in the electoral college. As the hardliners grasped this reality, Mr. Vajpayee revived the idea of Dr. Kalam's nomination and managed to have his way. The hawks fell in line.

Oddly, the Kalam nomination has been hailed by various sections in the NDA, though for different reasons. Mr. Vajpayee seems to have had the last laugh. The BJP's hawks are happy that the NDA, as the majority force, has had its way for the nomination for the top post. (They had insisted on this prerogative citing past practice). The Opposition has the satisfaction of having blocked Dr. Alexander.

The BJP hawks' `no' to Mr. Vajpayee was the third case of overruling of a Prime Minister over the Presidential nomination. In 1957, Jawaharlal Nehru opposed a second term for Rajendra Prasad and wanted the then Vice-President, Radhakrishnan, for the top post. A powerful section of the Congress Working Committee led by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad insisted on a double honour for Dr. Prasad. ``In the chronicle of the freedom struggle, Dr. Prasad's name figures on every page. There is no mention of Dr. Radhakrishnan'' — was Azad's argument. Nehru had to toe their line. It remained an in-house affair.

In 1969, Indira Gandhi was vetoed by the old guard who chose Sanjeeva Reddy as the Congress nominee for the Presidency. This set in motion a powerful sequence of developments — Indira Gandhi's ''stray thoughts'', enunciating extreme steps like nationalisation of banks, her plea for a ''conscience vote'' in the Presidential contest, Mr. Reddy's defeat at the hands of the Vice-President of the day, V.V. Giri, the split in the Congress, and the emergence of Mrs. Gandhi's faction as the real Congress. The entire political landscape felt the impact. In the present case, Mr. Vajpayee's embarrassment was shortlived but no less serious.

In the process, the NDA landed itself into a contradiction — it swore by convention in opposing a second term for Mr. K.R. Narayanan but itself violated another practice: of elevating the Vice-President.

On their part, the Congress and the rest of the Opposition could have shown some finesse. But that is another story.

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