Removing Deve Gowda does not mean "succumbing to Kesri's pressure:" UF

Top United Front leaders are now studying the political implications of the Congress Working Committee resolution to support the Front under a new leader.

The UF leaders, apparently all ready to sacrifice Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda on the plea of averting a snap poll, have sought further clarifications about the Congress's latest position.

Its convenor Nara Chandrababu Naidu has held informal talks with Congress president Sitaram Kesri about the "quality, credibility and durability" of the promised support.

The UF apex policy-making body -- its steering committee -- will meet in New Delhi on Thursday, April 17, to elect a new leader. The election, UF sources say, will be ratified by its parliamentary group on Monday, April 21.

Though the UF views the CWC resolution as a ''positive one,'' it does want to rush into any hasty decision. The final decision will be one which would keep all "UF constituents in harmony,'' a Front leader said.

Accepting the Congress condition of removing Deve Gowda from leadership, Front leaders are at pain to explain, does not in any way amount to ''succumbing to Kesri's pressure."

The Front is still grappling with the contentious issue of leadership change as some of its constituents, particularly the Left, are averse to replacing Deve Gowda -- they would rather face a mid-term poll.

The Left parties -- with their combined strength of 53 Lok Sabha seats -- insist that Kesri first withdraw the crucial March 30 letter (which he sent President Shankar Dayal Sharma withdrawing support to the UF).

"The ball is now in their (Congress') court," Communist Party of India-Marxist Politburo member and UF steering committee member Sitaram Yechury said, "But until the Congress has withdrawn its letter and negated its stake to form a government, a change in leadership cannot happen."

The Left made it clear it would not go in for a coalition with the Congress; it would only take outside support. And if the UF by any chance went in for a coalition with the Congress, the Left would say farewell to the Front.

Yechury said the CPI-M would "play along" with the Congress demand for a change in leadership to maintain UF unity. The Front was not anxious to go to the polls, but ''the Congress is pushing us towards it,'' he added.

The Marxist leader claimed that the Congress has lost the first two rounds in the current political game. Round one went to the UF when the Congress failed to pull down the government without a debate in Parliament; and round two, when they were forced to join hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party to pull the UF down.

Yechury said if the Congress thought they could block all corruption charges against its members by causing political confusion, they were mistaken. ''The law," he quoted, (former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao -- the quote signalled the beginning of his end) "will take its course."

Informal talks are now on between the Left leaders and the other UF constituents to find a mutually acceptable new leader. The Left leaders will meet on Wednesday to review the latest political developments.