A spent Vajpayee comes under siege

By Nirmal Ghosh

NEW DELHI: Atal Behari Vajpayee, seen widely as the only conservative and credible leader in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- and as such, the only acceptable face as Prime Minister -- has been weakened by the defense and other corruption exposes, growing criticism from the right wing and recent losses in state elections.

Last month, at a BJP parliamentary party meet, he offered to resign after a leader of the powerful Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (a trade-union wing of the BJP) said the government had sold out to multinationals and called Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha a "turncoat".

Vajpayee said the government could quit if the Sangh Parivar, an umbrella term for Hindu supremacist organizations of various hues, wanted it to.

There is little possibility of his actually quitting, but the remark showed he was being forced to resort to threats.

The defense scam, followed by other corruption scandals, have left his government vulnerable and damaged the credibility of his own coterie, which includes the apparently indispensable Brajesh Mishra, his principal secretary.

The boldness of the criticism from the trade union also shows the impatience of the right wing which, apart from advocating Hindu supremacy, is against liberalization under the World Trade Organization regime because of the damage free trade may do to some sections of domestic industry.

The agricultural sector is suffering, with farmers becoming bankrupt and even suicides are on the rise as the threat of cheap imports and government reduction of subsidies and deregulation of support prices loom.

Indian markets are also being flooded with cheaper Chinese goods, ranging from tyres to toys. Trade unions across the country -- in sectors as large as power, telecommunications and banking -- are also under threat from liberalization.

Last week, days after having to digest state election reverses which he described as a wake-up call, Vajpayee had to repeat his reassurances to fend off increasingly assertive right-wing conservatives.

He told an audience of trade unionists that workers' interests would be kept in mind while decisions are made on disinvestment and inviting foreign capital.

"The labor policies should not be seen in isolation. They should be viewed in a holistic manner, keeping in mind the larger interest of the nation," Vajpayee said, while inaugurating the 37th session of the Indian Labour Conference.

He refuted charges leveled by various central trade-union organizations that economic reforms were anti-labor, saying that, on the contrary, they created jobs.

He also rejected the notion that the government had given multinationals a free hand in order to attract foreign capital.

His statement came in the wake of trade-union leader Hansubhai Dave's opening remarks at the same conference, in which the latter said the controversial disinvestment in Bharat Aluminum Company and the defense sector had raised "an accusing finger" at New Delhi's economic policies.

Economic apprehensions have added fuel to political criticism. Right-wing groups see other BJP leaders like Home Minister L.K. Advani as being more hardline on issues such as Kashmir, and more amenable to right-wing protectionist sentiments.

This is despite the fact that there is little evidence to support the theory that Advani or any other senior Cabinet minister is protectionist, especially after New Delhi's latest liberalization move.

The move opened up sectors like defense, tourism and airports to significant foreign investment.

Vajpayee is seen as a canny politician, but some analysts are worried that he may be losing his grip. Health problems are also dogging him; he is due to go in for a second round of knee surgery next month.

Analyst Brahma Chellaney wrote recently: "An inspirational figure, Vajpayee became PM at least five years too late.

"His physical condition today casts doubt on his capacity to repair the damage to his government and lead a nation of a billion people.

"His health henceforth will be a public issue. It will no longer be possible for spin doctors to keep the media from reporting when he looks spaced out at public events."

"No nation can prosper under a tired, sick or spent leadership," he said. -- The Straits Times/Asia News Network