New Delhi, May 22
As the dominant 145-member entity in the United Progressive Alliance, the Congress had to undertake a delicate balancing act throughout the day in persuading certain pre-poll allies like the Lok Janshakti party’s Mr Ram Vilas Paswan, not to abstain from the oath taking ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan here this evening.
Mr Paswan agreed to take the oath of office and secrecy just 20 minutes before the ceremony in the high-domed central hall of Parliament. There was much slogan shouting at his residence in the afternoon against the Congress leadership for overlooking the interests of the Dalits.
It required the intervention of a former Prime Minister , Mr V.P. Singh, and the perseverance of the Congress leader, Mr Ahmed Patel, to bring round Mr Paswan as he was initially assured the Railways portfolio.
Though the Congress president Ms Sonia Gandhi, and the new Head of the government, Mr Manmohan Singh held intense and prolonged discussions to reconcile the differences with its allies especially the RJD, the NCP and the LJP, there were still others like the RPI’s lone representative in the 14th Lok Sabha, Mr Ramdas Athavale, who felt that he had been left out in the cold.
Mr Athavale sought the intervention of the NCP chief, Mr Sharad Pawar, who also held separate discussions with the Telengana Rastra Samiti chief, Mr K. Chandrashekhar Rao.
The TRS held a meeting of its MPs and decided to join the government after assurances by the Congress that the creation of a Telengana state would be resolved soon.
Mr Rao felt being part of the government would facilitate them in carrying forward the pledge of the TRS of forming a separate Telengana state. He said friends like Mr Paswan, the RJD supremo, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, and the RLD’s, Mr Ajit Singh, urged him to join the government.
On the creation of the Telengana state finding no mention in the draft common minimum programme (CMP), Mr Rao said this would be known only after all allies approve the CMP.
On his part, Mr Athavale said he met Mr Pawar impressing upon him to take up the RPI’s case with the Congress. The RPI leader insisted after his meeting with Mr Pawar that he would not settle for anything less than a Cabinet berth in the Congress-led UPA government. That did not mean that he would withdraw the support to the secular formation at the Centre.
