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President takes a knocking for frowning on Bhandari

President K R Narayanan came under attack from various political parties for transgressing his powers while tackling the ongoing power struggle in Uttar Pradesh and leakage of privileged communication with the prime minister, to the press.

The President is understood to have written to Prime Minister I K Gujral seeking his counsel on the recall of Uttar Pradesh Governor Romesh Bhandari, who is in the eye of the storm ever since he had dismissed the Kalyan Singh government and installed Loktantrik Congress leader Jagdambika Pal as chief minister.

Though highly placed sources said that Bhandari has already been sounded informally through emissaries to step down at an appropriate time, the UP governor went on record saying that he has not received any communication from the prime minister in this regard.

Gujral, who is in Orissa on electioneering, is expected back in the capital late on Wednesday, and sources said the Union Cabinet is scheduled to meet on Thursday to take up routine matters. The Cabinet meeting, for the first time after the two rounds of polling, is expected to take up the contentious Uttar Pradesh issue and Bhandari's role in dismissing Kalyan Singh.

Launching a frontal attack on Narayanan, CPI-M general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet accused him of transgressing his powers and leaking to the media his letters to the prime minister on UP developments. Surjeet said Narayanan should realise that the Supreme Court, which had passed an order for a composite floor test in the assembly, remained neutral on claims of both the BJP and the rebel Congress, nor did it criticise the governor's role.

Former prime minister Chandra Shekhar also took strong exception to the President's role in UP affairs, and said he did not think it fit to intervene when UP assembly Speaker Kesrinath Tripathi had delayed a decision for over four months on the status of 12 BSP rebel MLAs, who are propping up the Kalyan Singh government.

The Congress has said it was not aware of any letter from President Narayanan to Gujral seeking Bhandari's removal.

Speaking to reporters, party spokesperson Najma Heptulla said the correspondence between the President and the prime minister was always confidential and wondered how could the reported letter reached the press.

Asked whether the reported letter was in order she said, "I don't want to talk about Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President is a responsible person."

Replying to a question whether the prime minister could ask for a governor's resignation, Heptulla said it was a debatable point whether a caretaker prime minister could take such decisions. The caretaker prime minister could not behave arbitrarily, she said, criticising his action of announcing payment of a large amount to Punjab. There were clear provisions for making payments to states, she pointed out.

Heptulla also declined to comment on the UP governor's action of dismissing the Kalyan Singh government. The governor acts on his own judgement, and "I don't make any comments on his action," she said.

The BJP, however, justified Narayanan's letter to Gujral on the Bhandari issue, saying it showed the President had lost confidence in the governor.

Bhandari should have, in fact, resigned on his own in the wake of the UP developments but it appeared as if he was waiting for his dismissal, BJP general secretary Venkaiah Naidu said.

Without naming Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, he alleged that the governor was in Lucknow at the behest of a particular person and a party.

Quoting a state minister who alleged that the governor had tried to bribe him, Venkaiah Naidu said Bhandari was acting like an ordinary party worker.The events in the state had highlighted the dangers of a hung assembly or Parliament.

Naidu said the anti-BJP forces were once again trying to gang up, but their "unprincipled and opportunistic" alliance would not succeed this time.

UNI

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