They are in the same party, but are rarely on talking terms. Prime Minister I K Gujral and Janata Dal chief Sharad Yadav are as different as cheese from chalk, and the only recent instance when insiders confirm they conversed was when Yadav tendered apologies on two occasions.
The first apology was tendered after Yadav bluntly told Gujral to take his seat during the debate on the womens reservation bill in the budget session of Parliament. Gujral confirmed in a television interview later that Yadav had apologised for the incident, and that he had accepted it.
Last Saturday, Yadav once again apologised when his supporters hooted Gujral during his speech on the first day of the partys two-day national convention. The heckling prompted Gujral to walk out of the convention in a huff, and stay away on the second day on Sunday. Yadavs supporters wanted Gujral to drop the three ministers from the breakaway Rashtriya Janata Dal.
Yadav now clearly intends to go beyond an apology. For appearances sake, he is set to initiate disciplinary action against the 15-odd partymen who jeered at Gujral. Party insiders, however, say this will be restricted to serving a notice, asking them why discplinary action should not be initiated. Matters would rest at that.
Within the Janata Dal, Gujral is on the other side of the divide. Ranged against him are Yadav and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. On more than one occasion, Gujral has made it clear that he little patience for such detracting elements but his lack of a strong political base forces him not to retaliate which, in turn, further encourages his detractors.
Which party does the Prime Minister belong? This was the common refrain among the Janata Dal workers who converged from various parts of the country for the national convention.
There are many who are convinced that Gujral has a soft corner for Laloo Prasad Yadav, which makes him taciturn on the issue of dropping the three ministers from Laloo Yadavs party.
Left to himself, Gujral would like to see the RJD returning to the party fold. He reportedly made his intention known to former Prime Minister V P Singh who returned to the Capital during the weekend from London. Singh too is credited with holding similar views, but the duo is said to be at a loss to carry out their intention without antagonising Gowda and Yadav.
Sharad Yadav is keen to convey the impression that his legal troubles in the Jain hawala case has not put him on the backfoot. Today, he is expected to assert himself, and announce the induction of some new faces into the Janata Dal, including the former Congress MP from Hoshangabad, Rameswar Neekhra. The new faces would also include some district leaders from Bihar from the Rashtriya Janata Dal.
The idea is clearly to quickly consolidate his position as the Janata Dal president, before he is presented with a formula blessed by V P Singh which he would be unable to turn down. If they could help it, Gowda and Yadav would prevent the merger of the RJD with the parent party under any circumstances.
And in their current worldview, one thing that can be said with certainty is that Gujral finds no place at all.
