From Jal Khambata

NEW DELHI: Parliament was back on rails on Wednesday after a
day's breakdown in what appeared to be a total lull before yet
another storm on Thursday when the Lok Sabha takes up, after the
Railway Budget, the controversial government resolution for
ratification of the President's rule in Bihar.

A 200-minute debate before approving unanimously the President's
rule in yet another state of Goa, however, provided a prologue
for what is in store when the Bihar resolution is taken up for
discussion in the Lok Sabha before the crucial voting on Friday. 

After yet another day of high tension, Andhra Chief Minister
Chandrababu Naidu ended the suspense when he telephoned Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to assure that his Telugu Desam
Party MPs will vote with the government.

The Opposition parties already had the inkling of the TDP's
stand when Naidu did not return at least two phone calls made by
Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav from Delhi. The
excuse was that he was busy in the State Assembly in session.

BJP RECONCILED: The Vajpayee Government, however, appears
reconciled to let the Bihar Government be resurrected if the
Bihar resolution later falls in the Rajya Sabha as BJP spokesman
K L Sharma was quite emphatic that the resolution's defeat in
the Upper House is not a moral defeat for the government nor the
Constitution mandates the government's resignation on such a
defeat.

"Yes the government will step down if the resolution is lost in
the Lok Sabha," Sharma said while aserting that all the allies
were rallying around Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to
frustrate the Congress-hatched conspiracy of uniting the
opposition on Bihar issue. Even Lok Dal chief Om Prakash
Chautala, who had parted company with the government only last
week,  appeared willing to support the Bihar resolution, just to
prevent fall of the government. 

The support from the unexpected quarters of the Bahujan Samaj
Party has also emboldened the ruling BJP to be confident of
sailing through in the Lok Sabha on Friday. Janata Dal's
Ramvilas Paswan may also vote for the resolution, though former
Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said he can understand anguish of
Paswan, but the Janata Dal is yet to formulate its stand.

Fast consultations were also on in the ministerial and top BJP
circles to decide whether to defer the Lok Sabha voting also to
some other day next week to avoid any problem to the Union
Budget due on Saturday.

HIGH TEMPERS: There was nothing to discuss on the Goa resolution
and yet 20 members spoke, many digressing to talk about Bihar.
None had anything to do with Goa while the two Congress MLAs
from the state were absent having their usual afternoon siesta
when the debate was on. Francisco Sardinha turned up at 4.50 PM
but for just a 10-minute appearance and not for speaking.

The Lok Sabha witnessed a fit of tempers towards the evening
when Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav spoke on the
Goa resolution to the extent that abuses flew freely and both
RJD and BJP MPs moved menacingly as if ready for a physical combat.

The BJP members were clearly exhibiting a desperation at their
government coming in crisis as they pounced on Laloo time and
again on his distinctly provocative remarks and the RJD and
Samajwadi Party MPs were also in equal fighting mood that may
come to full steam on Thursday.

Laloo supported the Goa resolution for the President's rule like
18 others as inevitable but he prefaced his arguments, saying he
would expose the government on Thursday when the Bihar
resolution comes up. He also accused the Vajpayee Government to
slap own government misusing Article 356. 

"We will put all facts as to how the Governor misled the
President and this House. ... Home Minister Advani knows it. How
can't he know when he is the originator ('Janak') of the whole
conspiracy?," Laloo affirmed and the BJP benches were up in arms
as he ridiculed Advani for trying to become another Sardar Patel.

"Choubeji chale the chhabbe banne, dube ban kar rah gaye. Vaise
advani chalethe Sardar Patel banne aur (noise disruption," Laloo
asserted. 

Chandramani Tripathi, a BJP member from Madhya Pradesh, got so
much provoked that he started abusing with adjectives like
"behuda" only to trigger a shouting match between RJD and BJP
benches and when everything was over, Laloo had his say: Gaali
dijiye ek, to 101 gaaliya thokenge." (Abuse me once and you will
get 101 abuses.)

An irrepressible Laloo went on to play up his caste card and
assert that the days of those indulging in social oppression and
showering abuses dalits for ages cannot be allowed to dictate.

Contrary to the media speculation of Congress President Sonia
Gandhi drawing a wedge between Laloo and Samajwadi Party leader
Mulayam Singh Yadav, who have together formed third front of
Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha, both leaders could be seen
engrossed in talks inside the Lok Sabha for hours, taking
advantage of sharing the same front row bench. They looked quite
chummy laughing and joking.

Both were also in great demand as everyone wanted to share a few
moments with them, be it former Prime Minister Inder Kumar
Gujral or Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rangarajan
Kumarmangalam or a host of the Congress leaders, including
Sushil Kumar Shinde and Bhajanlal.

Tuesday night, Laloo went to the house of Shinde for a
rendezevous with CWC member Arjun Singh, who masterminded the
Congress turnaround, to understand what the Congress wants from
him after his wife Rabri Devi's government is re-installed.
Arjun Singh only elaborated what he was told by Sonia Gandhi
earlier in the afternoon that all tha the Congress wants is to
provide full protection to dalits and also stop harassment of
the Congress party workers in the state. END.
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