May 4, 1998

Friends undermine the Vajpayee regime's legitimacy.

Prabhu Chawla

By any standards, South Block is a tough place to get to, and even tougher to manage effectively. Atal Bihari Vajpayee -- India's first genuine non-Congress prime minister -- has learnt this bitter truth within four weeks in office. In an endeavour to run his coalition government by adopting the least confrontationist administrative model, the prime minister finds himself caught in a crossfire between his cabinet ministers. In the absence of any fire-fighting, core group to aid him, Vajpayee faces the direct ire of his detractors. Even after 30 days in office, he has not been allowed by his party and allies to evolve a mechanism for resolving political disputes which undermine the legitimacy of the Government.

Surprisingly, the prime minister has not received any solid support from his own party in fighting his battles and consolidating his control over the Government. In fact, the BJP with its committed cadres and vast network of resources is well placed to counter any threat to the prime minister. But none of the party's office-bearers has come forward with any feasible plan to neutralise the rising attacks on the prime minister. On the contrary, press briefings at the BJP's headquarters have become rare, with most of the party's functionaries and ministers undertaking nationwide tours to lay foundation stones or address seminars. Some members of the BJP's media cell and self-appointed inspectors of the RSS are still mounting pressure on the prime minister and other party ministers to find jobs for their boys in the Government and other state institutions.

On the other hand, the BJP's allies are following their own agenda very aggressively. Vajpayee has received support from unexpected quarters like the Samata Party, the Akali Dal and the Biju Janata Dal. In both deeds and words, these parties have proved to be assets and effective counters to the destabilising impact of the AIADMK.

It is amazing that despite winning the vote of confidence by a clear majority, a cloud of uncertainty looms ominously over the BJP-led Government. Neither has Vajpayee lost any of his allies nor have any of the major coalition partners threatened withdrawal of support. But the war of statements by his cabinet colleagues has put a question mark on the longevity of Vajpayee's Government.

It is not the lack of any prime ministerial authority which is the root cause of these unbridled ministerial shenanigans. So far, the prime minister has refrained from being impolite to his cabinet colleagues and coalition partners. In fact, he has been ignoring unnecessary barbs targeted at him and open defiance, all for the sake of consensual governance.

But Vajpayee's enigmatic silence has been misunderstood as his weakness not only by his inexperienced partners in national governance but also his party. Even after keeping a gruelling 14-hour daily work schedule every day of the week, the prime minister has not crafted any distinctive art of governance for his ministerial colleagues and civil servants to follow. Last week, he suddenly decided to lead from the front when he directed all Central secretaries to put before him major pending issues, including policy and personnel matters for a final decision. Perhaps he has now realised that the time has come for him to acquire the image of an elected emperor -- and throw away his mukhota (mask) of being a man of straw and not of iron.

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