NAGPUR, March 19: The newly-elected Lok Sabha member and Republican Party of India presidium chairman, RS Gavai, has predicted that Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led minority government would not complete its full five years term.Talking to newsmen in a Meet-the-Press programme, sponsored by the Nagpur Union of Working Journalists here yesterday evening, Gavai, however, ruled out yet another mid-term poll, and asserted that a non-BJP secular government, led by the Congress, might take over.
``It would be difficult for Vajpayee to continue his term as there are a peculiar combination of regional parties in the alliance, and may fail to garner an absolute majority in Parliament'', he pointed out and said that Vajpayee should resign on moral and ethical grounds if his candidate for the post of Speaker is defeated in the election.
Answering a question, the RPI leader said that the Sena-BJP government had lost the faith of people of the State in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections. Hence the State Assembly shouldbe dissolved and fresh elections held.
Justifying the demand raised by Sharad Pawar, Gavai pointed out that several State Governments, led by the Congress were dissolved during Janata Raj on the same ground. ``We will sit together with the Congress leaders on the issue soon and chalk out a strategy to oust the saffron coalition government of Maharashtra'', he said.
On the poor performance of Bahujan Samaj Party, led by Kanshi Ram in the Lok Sabha elections, he said that Dalits of the country were fed up with Kanshi's opportunist politics and had taught him a lesson in the elections. ``His (Kanshi's) political credential is under cloud due to his opportunist politics. He was exposed in the elections'', the RPI leader said and described him as a ``political prostitute''. He described the non-inclusion of separate Vidarbha in the national agenda of Vajpayee government as unfortunate. ``The issue of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh were included in the national agenda despite the fact that BJPincorporated the separate Vidarbha issue in its election manifesto'', he said and alleged that the issue was not included in the agenda only due to pressure from Shiv Sena, one of its allies in the State, which was opposing the emotional issue of the backward region.
According to him, the RPI would follow up the issue in the Parliament and ensure that the new government should concede the demand. ``We already met the higher ups of Congress on the issue and urged them to take a positive step on it'', he said.
The Congress and particularly Sharad Pawar should clarify their stand on the separate statehood of Vidarbha, he said.
Reacting on the statement of senior RPI leader, Prakash Ambedkar, that the United Front would be the natural ally of the pro-Dalit party, Gavai said that ditching of Congress at this juncture and allying with the UF would amount to treachery with the Congress as there was a pre-election alliance with the century-old party. He appealed to Ambedkar not to make such statements infuture.
He said that fresh organisational elections of RPI would be held by June next as per the directives of the Election Commissioner. ``The process has already begun in this direction'', he further informed.
To another question, Gavai made it clear that he would neither accept the post of Speaker nor the position of Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha. ``I want to be a vocal member of the House'', he said.
Senior RPI leader and newly elected Lok Sabha member, Prof Jogendra Kawade, WK Ganar, Sadanand Fulzhele, Prakash Gajbhiye, Dharamkumar Patil were also present at the programme.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
