Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 7, 1991 TAG: 9103070118
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: NEW DELHI, INDIA LENGTH: Medium
His decision to quit followed a boycott of Parliament by the Congress Party after its leader, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, accused the government of "political espionage" because police had conducted surveillance of his home.
For the past five months, Shekhar's minority government had been maintained in power by the support of the Congress Party. Shekhar had repeatedly sought to limit the concessions demanded by Congress in return for its parliamentary support.
Shekhar formed the government in November with the help of lawmakers who had defected from then-Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh's government.
On Wednesday a spokesman for President Ramaswami Venkataraman said that the president, who is India's head of state, had accepted Shekhar's resignation. Venkataraman asked Shekhar to continue as prime minister while he consulted on the recommendations for elections and the dissolution of Parliament.
Shekhar said that the maintaining of a police watch on Gandhi's house had not been authorized by the central government, but appeared to be the work of the Haryana state government, which is run by his supporters.
Gandhi and the Congress Party had insisted that the prime minister dismiss the state government, a demand that Shekhar, weary of Gandhi being being portrayed as a puppet of the party, resisted. Instead, he offered to investigate the surveillance. Gandhi rejected this as inadequate and ordered the Congress to continue the boycott of Parliament, which began Tuesday.
The stage now appears set for a general election, which could be held as early as May.
Opposition leaders pressed Venkataraman to accept Shekhar's recommendation.
Gandhi said Wednesday night after an emergency meeting of party leaders that his party favored elections.
"The Congress feels that in situations as this it is the people who must decide. We want to go for the election and come back stronger," he declared.
An election is widely seen as an effort to end the intraparty fighting, defections, political maneuvering and crisis atmosphere that has marked India for the past two years and has led to the fall of two minority governments.
These problems have been aggravated by Hindu-Muslim riots and insurgencies in Kashmir, Northeast India and Punjab, and a growing balance-of-payments deficit caused by the Persian Gulf War.
by CNB