The Hindu : PWP to remain neutral

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 13, 2002

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PWP to remain neutral

By Our Mumbai Bureau

MUMBAI JUNE 12. The Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), which has five MLAs in a House of 288 members, today announced that it would remain neutral when the confidence vote is taken up by the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly tomorrow, throwing a damper on the ruling Democratic Front's hopes for an easy win.

A major section in the PWP favours the ruling Democratic Front but the younger elements, who have the capacity to split the party, seem to have prevailed.

The crisis in the State arose when some Nationalist Congress Party MLAs deserted ranks and made common cause with the Opposition Shiv Sena_BJP.

The DF claims it has 142 to 143 votes in its favour while the BJP-Sena is hovering around the figure of 133, assuming that those legislators who have defected to its side would face disqualification at the hands of the Assembly Speaker, Arun Gujarathi. The BJP claims some NCP and Congress MLAs would still "vote for us.'' The forwarding of Mr. Thatakare's resignation by the DF for a second time in recent times to the Governor, P.C. Alexander, today as "a commitment to keep our word'' did not seem to matter much to the PWP. As the "young turk'' Jayant Patil of the PWP said : "We are not with them as we withdrew support earlier.'' It ''is now for the Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh, to prove his majority according to his means." The PWP had asked that Mr. Deshmukh be replaced ''as they cannot deal with him.''

In another development, Mr. Bal Thackeray, Shiv Sena leader, took a step backward from the developments saying "I am not suffocated without power.'' He had another curious message: "the game of luring away MLA should stop somewhere." Meantime, the Speaker — who held hearings for eight of the MLAs who were served notices for their perceived defections — announced that he would make public his order only tomorrow, some three hours before the vote of confidence is taken up. The hearings were held amid the tightest-ever security at the Council Hall. It was from here that Padmakar Valvi, Congress MLA fled back to the parent party today, alleging he was "detained under duress" by the Opposition. Mr. Valvi's return was dramatic. He went on to depose before the Speaker, sought security and swiftly reached the Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh who promptly produced him before the media.

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