CHIEF Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat has had to pay a heavy price for his successful demonstration of strength on the floor of the House. Even as he decries the rebel M L As revolt as "an inhuman thing to do to an ailing man", there is no denying that his image as a venerated leader has taken a battering. For the first time in his tenure, his presence didnt deter legislators from speaking out against him and indulging in unruly behaviour.
Besides, the 115 MLAs who voted for the motion of thanks to the Governors address included eight BJP rebels who did not want to defy the whip and invite disqualification. They were aware that they did not have the numbers to bring the government down in a 200-member House. So, both the opposition and the ruling party realise that this could be a temporary reprieve.
For their part, Congress leaders claim that the government can still be toppled, but this would not suit them as they do not want to form a government without a majority. In fact, this perceived threat to the B J P regime helped Shekhawat secure the support of hostile MLAs, who were seeking a change in party leadership, not in the regime as such. It is this ambivalence that the BJP leadership exploited.
But while the crisis has been tided over for now, the issues remain. As B J P MLA V.P.Singh noted: "Bhanwar Lal Sharma (the rebel leader) was an excuse, just as Vaghela was. If not he, someone else would have done it. The party should see that its M L As do not go over to such men." The B J P says it will start attending to these issues from February 9, when its Legislature Party is scheduled to meet and choose its executive. Several M L As have time and again demanded such a meeting, but Shekhawat managed to avoid it on one pretext or the other.
Now, there is a visible attempt by the government to placate MLAs. It has already issued a directive to officers to listen to the MLAs and solve the problems they bring forth. (One of the legislators grouses was that bureaucrats listened only to the chief minister.) However, it is not clear how the party high command plans to tackle dissent against Shekhawat. For, the recent rebellion seems to have been provoked by the means and methods employed by the chief minister to form and run the present government. Removing him may be out of the question as it is widely believed that it is only Shekhawats guile and tactful "man management" not values that brought and kept the party in power.
There had been many signs of discontent. Last autumn 44 BJP MLAs gave a memorandum against Shekhawats leadership to the party high command and 33 Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe MLAs had complained of discrimination. Another MLA voiced anger at being left out of a temple trust in his area while the chief ministers son-in-law Narpat Singh Rajvi was nominated to it.
The BJP dismissed these reports of dissidence as fabricated and the party leadership preferred to let Shekhawat have his way. Now, the legislators, aware of their importance and bubbling with a new-found assertiveness, intend to air their complaints and press their demands. But and this is an indication of the distrust legislators have vis-a-vis Shekhawat they are also apprehensive that the Thakur might try to ride roughshod over them once the crisis is over. In any case, few expect any dramatic change in his style and attitude.
Says a BJP MLA: "We extended wholehearted support to the government in this crisis for two reasons. We were told that after the reverses in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, the fall of the Shekhawat government would be disastrous for the partys prospects. It was a matter of survival. The second reason was sympathy for Bhairon Singhji. We did what was required of us. Now our problems should also be attended to. We cannot be used and discarded."
And so, as Shekhawat fights ill health and rebellion, he faces a tough task: expansion of his council of ministers. Speculation is rife over who he will be compelled to induct and whom he can afford to ignore. But then, as even his critics will concede, challenges usually bring out the best in Shekhawat.
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