After a four-hour long marathon meeting yesterday, the United Front standing committee decided to tread the middle path on its relationship with scam-tainted Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadavs RJD. While it satisfied the Left by deciding not to induct the RJD into the Front, to satisfy the regional parties it decided to keep the three RJD ministers in the Front government until the next meeting on July 25.
The three minsiters had joined Prime Minister I K Gujrals cabinet as Janata Dal members but moved over the RJD when Laloo Prasad split the part early this month.
The decision not to include RJD is final, Front spokesman S Jaipal Reddy told journalists after the meeting. He refrained from replying to the hypothetical question as to whether this decision could be reviewed if Laloo Prasad resigned as Chief Minister of Bihar.
The carefuly reached strategy of the UF gives enough time to the feuding Front partners to reach a settlement over the extent of hostility towards Laloo Prasad. At the same time it would also give an opportunity to those who want RJD in to pressurise Laloo Prasad to resign as Chief Minister and president of RJD and then remain part of the Front.
Interestingly, the UFs decision not to induct RJD came even without Laloo Prasad having asked for the Fronts membership. Prasad has been saying that since his ministers are already there in Prime Minister I K Gujrals cabinet, his party was already part of the Front. It was for the Front to decide whether it wanted to drop them or not.
Lensemen who went inside the Prime Ministers 7, Race Course Road residence to shoot the meeting saw that mid-way through the meeting, TMC chief GK Moopanar coming out of it and sitting in an adjoining room. He finally went into the meeting after much persuasion from DMK chief Karunanidhi.
Front convenor N Chandrababu Naidu once again took up the job of brokering peace in the coalition and met almost all the leaders yesterday. Earlier in the day, he met Prime Minister IK Gujral, CPI(M) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet and CPI general secretary AB Bardhan.
Left leaders reiterated that there was no question of going back on their stand on the issue relating to Bihar chief minister Laloo Prasad Yadav. They told Naidu that not only did they want Yadav to step down from the chief ministership, but they also insisted on his stepping down as the president of RJD, if it was included in the Front. Just after attending the inter-state council meeting, Naidu drove down to the residence of Tamil Maanila Congress chief GK Moopanars residence. Subsequently he met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK leader M Karunanidhi and Assam Chief Minister and AGP leader PK Mohanta.
Asked about Karunanidhis objections to the non-inclusion of the RJD in the Front, Reddy said the DMK chief expressed his views on the matter and other members also spoke. Finally a unaninimous decision was taken, which was endorsed by the DMK chief as well, he added. Reddy said since the DMK was party to all the decisions taken today, the question of the DMKs threat to withdraw its four ministers did not arise.
Reddy also said not a single Front leader felt that the situation in Bihar warranted the use of Article 356. Things are expected to move fast now in the Rs 950 crore animal husbandry scam case, in which Laloo Prasad is charged by the CBI as one of the main accused. The Patna High Court is to hear the case on July 21. The CBI has given an undertaking to the court not to arrest Laloo Prasad till then.
