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Gupta's elevation will bring only temporary respite in UP

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Ram Prakash Gupta who was sworn in this evening has been bestowed a carte blanche by the Bharatiya Janata Party central leadership to deal with his predecessor Kalyan Singh if the latter chooses to raise the banner of revolt.

"The new chief minister has been given full powers to deal with any contingency that might arise at the start of his rule," BJP sources told rediff.com even as party leaders did their utmost to project the impression that Gupta's assumption of office had nipped the political crisis in the state in the bud.

Significantly, most BJP leaders here did not rule out the possibility of Kalyan Singh trying to create problems even though he has expressly undertaken not to upset the status quo. "Now that we are back in business in UP, no one will be permitted to put a spoke in the wheel of the state government headed by Ram Prakash Gupta," said a BJP vice-president who is not an MP. "This includes self-appointed interlocutors," he added sarcastically in an apparent reference to the ousted chief minister.

It was indicated that Gupta's affable conduct in the initial stages of his rule will give way to "ruling with an iron hand... " is the oft-repeated refrain at the party's headquarters here. However, a section of the central party leadership is still apprehensive whether Gupta will be able to summon sufficient political resolve to "confront and combat " a political heavyweight like Kalyan Singh should the latter revert to his defiant ways.

It is being pointed out that despite advice to the contrary by Vajpayee and party chief Kushabhau Thakre, Gupta underlined that he would make use of tact and his persuasive powers to make party dissidents fall in line. "But that is easier said than done. Guptaji has been out of state politics for a long time. He should realise that the politics in which he participated thirty years ago has undergone a drastic change," a senior party leader pointed out.

The apprehension in BJP circles is that political fireworks could begin anew aimed not so much against the new chief minister as between the two rival faction -- Kalyan Singh's and that of the troika Kalraj Mishra, Rajnath Singh and Lalji Tandon. While both these sections have extended unconditional cooperation to the new chief minister, reports filtering in from Lucknow suggest that both sides are gearing up to hit each other below the belt.

While Kalyan Singh is egging on his supporters to demonstrate against the inclusion of Mishra and Tandon in the Gupta government, the troika is utilising its clout with the high command to cut Kalyan down to size. "It is a potentially frightful situation, the tension is palpable among our partymen both in Delhi and in Lucknow," a senior BJP vice-president confided.

Gupta, following his swearing-in, maintained that the priority of his government would be employment generation, developmental work and industrialisation. He, however, has left ministerial hopefuls in suspense by contending that his cabinet would not differ drastically from that of his predecessor and that he would give due attention to all claims before forming his ministry.

Senior party leader Govindacharya and Thakre are understood to have met state BJP leaders in an apparent effort to gauge the political mood in UP. It is learnt that ministerial hopefuls from the rival state party factions are still pursuing their objective of acquiring berths for themselves by 'petitioning' Govindacharya and the BJP chief. The BJP's allies in the state are also said to be nervous since Gupta is yet to announce the cabinet.

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