1996 is the year. In barely 13 days, Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government had collapsed. In Tamil Nadu Bhawan in Delhi, there was a meeting in progress. Among them were Jyoti Basu, Harkishan Singh Surjeet of the CPM, and Lalu Prasad Yadav, the national president of Janata Dal.
The Unexplored Life of HD is written by senior journalist Sugata Srinivasaraju in his book "Faros in a Field." Deve Gowda, 'Jyoti Basu referred to as HD Deve Gowda stated up front, "You should now proceed." Basu explicitly stated that Deve Gowda should become prime minister. Startled, Deve Gowda exclaimed, "Sir! In my party, there are other leaders. "Lalu, you announce this immediately, journalists are waiting outside," Basu said to Lalu.
Uneasy Deve Gowda desired to stay out of this. To Basu, he said, "Sir!" I have served as Karnataka's chief minister for less than two years. My career will end abruptly. Congress will not permit the government to function indefinitely. We are aware of what the Congress did to Chandrashekhar, VP Singh, and Charan Singh. I haven't even been all across the country and I don't even know Hindi. I am younger than you. Please, I beg you. Kindly reconsider.
According to Sugata Srinivasaraju, Deve Gowda touched Basu's feet in an attempt to talk him out of becoming prime minister. Basu, though, disagreed. "Should I go out and tell the people of India that we do not have any secular alternative to 'Vajpayee'?" he asked Deve Gowda while he was explaining. You are aware that there will be no face to present to the public if you disagree. There is also less time.
I'll share with you the tale of HD Deve Gowda, who was fortunate enough to become Prime Minister, in the eleventh installment of "Main Bharat Ka PM Series."
'Kingmakers' emerged from regional parties in the Lok Sabha elections of 1996.
In the Lok Sabha elections of 1996, no party secured a majority. BJP gained 161 seats, making it the largest party. The BJP was able to outnumber the Congress in seats for the first time. There are now only 140 seats in Congress.
In actuality, the Congress was divided before to the elections, and numerous leaders established their own regional parties. These include the "Tamil Manila Congress" of G.K. Moopanar, the "All India Indira Congress" of N.D. Tiwari, and the "Madhya Pradesh Vikas Congress" of Madhavrao Scindia. Congress had to lose the elections as a result of this.
Regional parties, however, became into "kingmakers." Following the elections, 13 of these parties—including the CPM, Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, DMK, and Telugu Desam Party—united to establish the United Front. This front secured 165 seats, of which 46 went to Janata Dal and 32 to CPM. Leaders initiated Ganesh Parikrama as a means of becoming Prime Minister.
After Vajpayee was invited to form the government, the United Front became enraged.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was invited to form the government by then President Shankar Dayal Sharma, who was leading the biggest party, the BJP, but this move infuriated the Left and the United Front.
"Left leader Sitaram Yechury told that there was a heated argument between the President and the United Front delegation," writes senior journalist Sugata Srinivasaraju. There, too, was me. Have we elected you president so that you can form a Sanghi (RSS) government, Comrade Harkishan Singh Surjit asked?
Actually, it was on the condition that KR Narayanan be appointed Vice-President that CPM General Secretary Harkishan Singh Surjit consented to elevate then Vice-President Shankar Dayal Sharma to the position of President. Sharma became President because Left parties backed his candidacy when Congress lacked a majority. Surjeet was not happy with the President for this reason.
