State of stalemate

State of stalemate

On the seventh day, the Opposition did not rest. Once again it successfully stalled Lok Sabha proceedings on the controversial RSS issue, which is fast becoming a definitional one for the ruling coalition with all its inherent contradictions fast surfacing. Chief among these is the sharp ideological differences between the BJP and its allies, with the latter clearly wanting to distance themselves emphatically from the Gujarat government's circular allowing government servants to join the RSS.

This has led to extremely quirky situations, like the Gujarat unit of the Samata Party, which is part of the ruling coalition at the Centre, opposing the circular. All the major coalition partners, whether it is the DMK or the TDP, have expressed their reservations to it. Vaiko, of the MDMK, has even suggested the Prime Minister ``persuade'' the Gujarat government to withdraw its order, and the J&K government moved a formal resolution to this effect.

This lack of sync in the ruling combination is the reason why it is forced to resist the Opposition's move to press for a discussion on the issue under Rule 184, which entails voting. Although the Opposition has assured the government that the move would not be treated as a motion of no-confidence, it still has the potential of causing enormous embarrassment.

The other major dissonance is that between the Vajpayee government's stand of not allowing officers of the Central government to join the RSS and the Gujarat government's carte blanche to its officials on this score. While the Union Home Minister L.K. Advani clarified in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the Gujarat government did not seek the Centre's approval before issuing the circular, he preferred to see it strictly as a state matter.

The fact remains, however, that the BJP leadership in Delhi cannot absolve itself of the responsibility of exerting a moral authority on its junior partner in Gujarat, especially since the issue is proving to be such a hot potato.

On Friday, all former prime ministers in the country together expressed their deep disquiet over these developments, with Chandra Shekhar urging the Gujarat government not to stand on false prestige and withdraw the order. ``To further divide the country on such questions is to play with the country,'' he observed.

But is Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel even listening? Going by his statement in Surat recently, he doesn't seem to be. Indeed, he went one step further. Ruling out the possibility of rolling back his controversial order, he hinted that his government is not averse to extending its provision to other organisations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Clearly, such cussedness combined with tunnel vision calls for the immediate intervention of the Centre.

Keshubhai Patel and friends cannot be allowed to subvert the principles of neutrality of governance this country has always subscribed to. Indeed, if it has survived as a democracy these 50 years and more, it is because it has done this. Prime Minister Vajpayee had effectively intervened in the past to nip potential trouble in the bud. Just a few weeks ago, he had asked constituents of the Sangh Parivar to observe a Lakshman Rekha in their political activism. Now it is time that he focuses his attention on Gujarat.