From: bond@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca (Girish Bonde)
Subject: NO, Prime Minister
Organization: University of New Brunswick
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 22:54:53 GMT

                        NO, Prime Minister
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        (An editorial from "The Pioneer", August 10, 1992).

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In one of Agatha Christie's thrillers, the Belgian  detective  Hercule
Poirot says: "If you want to know who committed the crime find out the
name of the ultimate beneficiary". The crime in the case  of  breaking
the  Janata Dal has been committed by Dr. Subramaniam Swamy, Mr. Chan-
draswami and a mysterious Bhaskar Rao in the  salubrious  environs  of
the Holiday Inn hotel. Doubtless, this trio will be suitably rewarded,
but they can not be seen as the ultimate beneficiaries. The  unsavoury
spectacle of ripping apart a legitimate national party with the aid of
currency notes witnessed last week was a command performance  produced
and directed by Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, the ultimate beneficiary
of the whole exercise.

The link? Naturally Mr. Rao was not at the  Holiday  Inn  distributing
the largesse, but Mr. Bhaskar Rao was there and he told all and sundry
that he was an emissary of the PM's son. Even  if  one  discounts  Mr.
Bhaskar  Rao's  role, there are two other gentlemen whose 'links' with
the PM are hardly a secret.   The  Congress  spokesman  dismissed  any
Congress  or  Prime  Ministrial  involvement, attributing the split to
'inner contradictions' in the Janata Dal. Spokespersons ,  understand-
ably,  have  to read from a prepared script, but even then there was a
conspicuous lack of conviction  in  Mr.  Gadgil's  denials.  No  adult
citizen  of  this  country  who  takes  an average interest in current
affairs will believe that the present convulsions in  the  Janata  Dal
are  the result of Mr. Ajit Singh's efforts or a revolt against Mr. V.
P. Singh's leadership. What we have, instead, is a  24-carat  Congress
inspired  sabotage. Admittedly, the Janata Dal is prone to splits, but
early last week it was, relatively speaking, at peace with itself.

What can one say about the two Swamys? If ever a couple was  made  for
each other, it is these two gents. Dr. Swamy's record in a public life
is an open book. If legislation could be passed prohibiting the  entry
of  the  Swamys  of  India  into public life, the Pioneer would be the
first to to support it. But since we live in a democracy, we  have  to
learn  to  live  with  Dr.  Swamy. The other godman sleazeball is half
joker, half confidence trickster. He has the distinction of duping the
rich  and the famous in five continents. Mr. Chandraswami could make a
valuable contribution to our balance of payments if he brought all his
ill-gotten gains back home.

Mr. Narasimha Rao is playing with fire in his attempts to  change  the
arithmetic  in the Lok Sabha. Dr. Swamy and Mr. Chandraswami do not do
favours for free.  They will extract a heavy price from Mr.  Narasimha
Rao - a price which could wreck his fragile government. Above all, the
PM's own credibility, hitherto  well-preserved,  will  be  irreparably
damaged.  Mr.  Rao  is a careful and cautious man. No one knows better
than him the dangers of  dealing  with  people  who  are  professional
wreckers.  In his own interest he should publicly denounce the activi-
ties of those who are playing havoc with his reputation.

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