India's government crisis could end soon

April 14, 1997
Web posted at: 1:18 p.m. EDT (1718 GMT)

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- India's Congress party predicted Monday that the country's political crisis could be ended within a week, without new elections.

On Sunday, Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda bowed to Congress' demand and offered to step down, after losing the party's support for his coalition government on Friday.

Gowda's United Front party initially resisted a change of leadership, but soon realized a deadlock on the issue would end with new elections, something most partners in the government want to avoid.

"We have to keep the national interest above everything else," said United Front leader Chandrababu Naidu, a leading candidate to succeed Gowda. "Why should the nation pay for our rigid stands?"

The party could choose a new leader at a meeting later this week.

While the United Front is willing to sacrifice Gowda to remain the architect of the coalition government, they have insisted Congress meet two conditions:

• an assurance that the Congress party will provide durable and credible support to ensure a stable government.

• withdrawal of Congress' claim to form the government.

Publicly, Congress has already forsaken its claim, particularly after it realized United Front coalition partners would not support a Congress-led government.

Most politicians are unnerved by the threat of elections, but the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party called for an entirely new government.

"The same combination which was responsible for creating the present constitutional crisis must not be allowed to rule the country under any circumstances," said BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "It would be better to have another parliamentary election rather than allowing the same conglomeration of parties to hold the country at stake."

Vajpayee was prime minister for 12 days last year when his party received the largest number of votes in a general election. But he resigned when it became clear he would lose a confidence vote.

The BJP favors new elections because it believes it has a good chance of gaining a majority and forming a government without coalition partners.

New Delhi Bureau Chief Anita Pratap and Reuters contributed to this report.

CNN Special Section:

• Pivotal Elections: India

Related stories:

• Political parties jockey for power in India - April 12, 1997
• India's Congress demands Gowda resignation - April 10, 1997
• In India: Political war of nerves - April 3, 1997
• Indian prime minister wins time to prove majority - March 31, 1997

Related sites:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

• India on the Net
• News India Times
  • Midterm Poll Haunts MPs

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

Tell us what you think! You said it...

© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.