Gujral named India's new prime minister

April 20, 1997
Web posted at: 1:24 p.m. EDT (1724 GMT)

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- The leader of India's United Front coalition, Inder Kumar Gujral, said on Sunday that President Shankar Dayal Sharma has named him the new prime minister.

"I'm grateful to (the president) that he has asked me to be prime minister," Gujral told reporters as he left the ornate presidential palace where he had met Sharma.

Gujral said he would be sworn in at 10 a.m. (0430 GMT) on Monday, and the president had asked him to prove his majority in the lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, on Tuesday.

Asked about the formation of a council of ministers, Gujral said: "That I will decide tonight."

Gujral was chosen on Saturday as the new leader of the 15-party United Front coalition to replace caretaker Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda.

Gowda resigned on April 11 after losing a vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha which was triggered by the Congress Party's decision to withdraw its vital support. Congress has pledged its support to Gujral.

Concerns of instability

Earlier Sunday, a delegation of the United Front coalition had called on Sharma to formally stake claim to form the next government, with Gujral as the new prime minister.

Experts say Sharma was concerned about the stability of the new government, and had asked for proof that it would be stronger than the alliance that collapsed last week.

Sharma reportedly had asked Sitaram Kesri, president of the Congress Party -- which withdrew support for the coalition under Gowda April 11, but promised support for a Gujral government -- to offer reliable proof of the new government's stability before he formally invited Gujral to begin.

Experts say Sharma has been concerned for two very good reasons: first, the Tamil Manila Congress (TMC), a disgruntled coalition partner, did not accompany the delegation that presented Gujral to the president.

The TMC is still smarting after their leader was passed over in favor of Gujral as the prime minister candidate. The party says it will support the coalition, but will not join Gujral's cabinet.

Along with the TMC's lack of full support, the Congress Party itself has shown it is an unreliable ally. On three occasions in the past, it has withdrawn support to minority governments on flimsy pretexts.

Gujral's first endeavor will be to patch the cracks that have shaken the United Front coalition.

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

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