Fresh Hostilities

OVER the last few weeks, senior Congress leader and Working Committee (CWC) member K. Karunakaran's attitude towards Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda has registered a sea change. And on March 27, he asked Congress President Sitaram Kesri to withdraw support to the United Front (UF) Government, even if that entailed going back to the polls. The demand came just days after the Kerala Vigilance Department filed an FIR in the palm oil import case dating back to 1991-92, when Karunakaran was chief minister.

But it is not the FIR against Karunakaran that's triggered off a fresh round of hostilities between the Congress and the UF. Congressmen are perturbed over the CBI probe into NRI funding of the Congress in violation of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA), and the consequent interrogation of Kesri and party treasurer Ahmed Patel. Exclaimed a CWC member: "This government exists on our support. But it's trying to finish off the Congress systematically."

Sensing the fresh threat to his government, Gowda promptly had it conveyed to Kesri through Pawar that he was unaware about the probe, and hence innocent of any conspiratorial moves. This may have convinced Pawar, but not his partymen. In fact, about 150 Congress MPs and senior leaders have advised Kesri that he should not even hesitate in withdrawing support to the Gowda regime if the probe is not called off.

Last month 30 Congress MPs—most of them first-timers—signed a statement opposing fresh elections. In contrast, Pawar, who is perceived to be pro-UF, was not as vocal when he met Kesri on March 27. All he asked was that a drastic decision like withdrawal of support should not be left to the CWC alone and that the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) be consulted. "Yes, this indeed is an important matter. If at all we go for the decision (to withdraw support), this has to be a collective one," said Kesri.

It is believed that Pawar found it difficult to defend the UF Government—despite his growing proximity to the Prime Minister—when his own supporters told him that there was definitely a "UF-sponsored CBI probe into Congress funding".

Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, a vocal Pawar supporter, claimed that the government had done nothing about allegations of FERA violations in Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) funding, nor had it gone into the funding of other political parties, including the CPI, despite a host of charges. "In fact, Gowda still does what Rao wants," said one of his aides. "The whole idea behind the probe into Congress funding is meant to create problems for Kesri (at Rao's behest) when he seeks endorsement as the party chief in the AICC session this May."

It is this session which has tied Kesri's hands. For him, the priority is to get his name ratified. He has once again appealed for a consensus—of course, in his own favour—for the party chief's post. And in states where a PCC chief's loyalty is in doubt, organisational changes seem to be in the offing. Jitendra Prasada, the Uttar Pradesh PCC chief, appears to be high on Kesri's hit-list on the grounds that Prasada is planning to contest against Kesri and has been soliciting the support of Rao and the anti-Kesri lobby. Former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra is also mobilising AICC delegates from Bihar against Kesri. Both Mishra and Prasada are also in favour of withdrawing support to the Front government, but want to finish off Kesri first.

And that is where Kesri's problems lie. While tackling the factionalism that has once again resurfaced in the Congress, he will also have to decide whether and when to withdraw support to the Gowda Government. That, of course, depends largely on one issue: whether Gowda actually calls off the probe into Congress funding.

As for Karunakaran, humiliated by his own party colleagues in Kerala, he could lump the FIR against him with the probe into Congress funding as an act of hostility on the part of the UF. In fact, supporters of P.V. Narasimha Rao, including Rajya Sabha member S.S. Ahluwalia, have gone to the extent of demanding Karunakaran's resignation from the CWC following the FIR. But Karunakaran deftly won over CWC members Balram Jakhar and N. Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy and effected a rescue operation.