President has three options regarding central government

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

President Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma has three options ahead of him following Sunday's dramatic developments wherein the Congress withdrew its crucial support to the Deve Gowda ministry.

According to a well-known constitutional expert, Dr Sharma, who is still considering Congress chief Sitaram Kesri's claim to form a government, has basically three avenues open to him,.First, the President can heed Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's appeal that he be given another chance to prove his government's majority on the floor of the Lok Sabha.

Significantly, the Supreme Court had ruled that the ideal place for proving a government's majority was not in Rashtrapati Bhavan or Raj Bhavan but the floor of the Lok Sabha or the state assembly. The Budget session of Parliament, which has been adjourned, will reconvene on April 21.

Second, the President might tell Deve Gowda that he had invited the United Front to form a government was because of Congress support, and now that it had been withdrawn, the prime minister had to first satisfy Dr Sharma that he had sufficient parliamentary strength with him for the trial of strength on the floor of the Lok Sabha.

Third, the President could extend the invitation for the formation of the central government to Kesri and his Congress because the BJP, which is the single largest party in the Lok Sabha, had earlier failed to prove its majority in Parliament.

However, it is likely that Dr Sharma will take his own time while exercising his options.

Significantly, a senior BJP leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that there had been a secret pact between the President and Kesri, According to this senior BJP leader, the alleged understanding between Dr Sharma and Kesri was that considering the present political situation Parliament should be dissolved. This would automatically postpone the Presidential election which is due within three months.

This BJP leader alleged that with most parties not favouring Dr Sharma's continuance as President, his alleged deal with Kesri would benefit him as well as the Congress chief. After ensuring that the Presidential poll was postponed Dr Sharma would appoint Kesri as caretaker prime minister till a general election was held.