Moopanar weeps on Surjeet's shoulder
Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
The United Front held the carrot of prime ministership before Tamil Maanila Congress chief G K Moopanar and then gave the post to someone else.
That was the gist of Moopanar's complaint when Harkishen Singh Surjeet, general secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, called on him on Thursday. Moopanar said he was treated shabbily and that the sentiments of the Tamil people had been ignored.
Moopanar, it is learnt, told Surjeet that the party's large following in Tamil Nadu and outside had forced the TMC to weigh the pros and cons before rushing in to join the UF government headed by Inder Gujral.
Surjeet reportedly tried to soothe Moopanar's feelings, saying the UF leadership had never intended to hurt any constituent of the Front when it chose Gujral and said the TMC should now rejoin the UF for the sake of a secular democracy.
The TMC leader has told UF leaders that a decision on whether or not to rejoin the government will be taken at Madras soon. Communist Party of India general secretary A B Bardhan expressed his optimism that the TMC would soon rejoin the government. The UF is reportedly trying to cobble together a solution that the TMC leadership may find difficult to refuse.
Meanwhile, the UF leadership, including the Left, are allegedly trying to clip the wings of Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal president Laloo Prasad Yadav, who has been trying to influence UF decisions.
A JD Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh said the prime minister is being urged by a section of the UF leadership to be firm with Laloo Yadav, and to deter him using diplomacy, tact and hints about his alleged involvement in the multi-million fodder scam.
Already, the Deve Gowda faction has suggested that the UF should not hinder the CBI in taking the fodder scam to its logical conclusion.
However, Gujral may have some trouble restraining the Bihar CM, partly because his government depends on the 24 JD MPs from Bihar, and partly because Laloo Yadav had helped him win a Rajya Sabha election from the state.
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