WITH the possibility of the Congress under Sitaram Kesri withdrawing support to the Deve Gowda Government, President Shankar Dayal Sharma has his work cut out for him. In fact, he is said to be discussing with experts the prospects of a hung Parliament, if the Congress withdraws support to the United Front and remains unable to cobble a majority of its own.
Sharma is also reportedly exploring the idea of a national government, which the Constitution does not speak of. The focus is on whether it should be headed by an eminent parliamentarian or an outsider, and in both cases the identity of the person in question is appended to the discussion. Vice President K.R. Narayanan's name was bandied around last June when the debate first cropped up, but he denied any such move.
But the prospect of a national government—which in absence of a clear mandate would mean an all-party government—would run into problems as the BJP is still a political 'pariah'. At any rate, so far Sharma, who himself is a constitutional expert with a sound knowledge of parliamentary conventions, has not taken up the issue with politicians. At best, it remains an academic and confidential exercise.
Of course, in the event of the Congress managing a majority with outside support, the whole exercise would be rendered irrelevant. Yet, Sharma seems to be readying for a contingency approach to avoid yet another costly election.
