When Balayogi put his foot down

By Harish Khare

NEW DELHI, APRIL 23. While the final say in the ``pact'' to break the parliamentary impasse over the Tehelka issue rested with the political leaders, the breakthrough could not have come about without a determined Speaker wanting to explore the limits of the moral authority of his office. Mr. G.M.C. Balayogi's exploration was richly rewarded.

This morning, Mr. Balayogi is believed to have it conveyed to the parliamentary leaders that he would not preside over the Lok Sabha if the painful experience of last Friday was to be repeated.

He made it clear that he had been receiving expressions of regret and anger from across the country that highest legislative forum was not being allowed to function normally.

Thrice in the day he confabulated with Mr. Pramod Mahajan, Parliamentary Affairs Minister, and Mr. Madhavrao Scindia, Congress deputy leader in the Lower House.

After each meeting the two reported the discussion to their respective principals.

The Government side was being manned by the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, the Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, Mr. Mahajan and the former Defence Minister, Mr. George Fernandes.

The Congress president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, was in consultation with party leaders and floor-managers. The breakthrough was difficult to achieve, as the hardliners on both sides were determined not to concede an inch.

It was the tough stand taken by Mr. Balayogi that forced the two sides to explore the possibility of a truce.

It was made obvious to the ruling party managers that they could not count on the Speaker's countenance in their strategy of roughing it out and getting the budgetary process approved and voted in noise and pandemonium.

The Speaker was also aware that the Congress MPs were less than enthusiastic about the party's ``adamantine'' approach.

Mr. Balayogi sought to build on the olive branch held out by the Prime Minister in his letter to Ms. Gandhi and the less-than- categorical rejection of that gesture by the Congress.

His decision to keep away from the House - and letting the Deputy Speaker, Mr. P.M. Sayeed, preside over question hour and the half-hour discussion on the Bangladesh border issue - suddenly made the ruling party sit up and revise its bulldozing tactics.

Earlier in the day, the Congress disrupted the proceedings, and as per the script the Deputy Speaker adjourned the House till next day, allowing the floor-managers to hammer a way out of the stalemate.

And while the pact was being negotiated, the respective party spokespersons were keeping up with their ``there is nothing to talk'' postures.

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