THE REPUBLICprohibited by legislation. Defection had been a universal pastime among
Indian politicians and the toppling game depended on the availability of
people who suddenly found that their conscience moved them to join
another party. The new law requires that any elected representative who
joins another party must immediately seek re-election. Earlier governments
had hesitated to introduce this legislation because it prevented them from
making converts.
Rajiv Gandhi then made another bold move by introducing a budget
which provided for tax cuts and heralded a more liberal economy whose
aim was to stimulate a new spirit of enterprise. He also seemed to be all set
to tackle the Assam and Panjab affairs. In reaching detailed accords with
the leaders of the Assamese students and of the Sikhs in 1985 he paved the
way for elections in both states. In Assam the Asom Gana Parishad won
the elections and the student leader, Prafulla Mahanta, became chief
minister. In the Panjab Sant Harchand Longowal who had concluded the
accord on behalf of the Akali Dal in July 1985 was shot by Sikh extremists
in August, nevertheless elections were held in September and won by the
Akali Dal. Surjit Singh Barnala became chief minister, but his term of office
was cut short in May 1987 when ‘President’s Rule’ was once more
imposed on the Panjab. The main reason for the failure of the Panjab
Accord was that Rajiv Gandhi was unable to deliver the goods. He had
pledged that Chandigarh, a Union Territory housing the capitals of both
Panjab and Haryana, would be handed over to the Panjab as its exclusive
capital on 26 January 1986. When this did not happen both Gandhi and
Barnala lost face. The Haryana government had stymied this part of the
accord, and as elections were due in that state in 1987, Gandhi did not
dare to alienate the Haryana voters. Eventually this did not help and the
Congress lost the Haryana elections to the Lok Dal, a regional party. Devi
Lal who became chief minister of Haryana, had roundly abused Gandhi in
his election campaign, making much of the corruption scandal connected
with the purchase of howitzers from the Swedish firm Bofors.
In this context Gandhi also parted company with V.P.Singh, his efficient
finance minister, whom he first transferred to the defence ministry and then
forced to resign in 1987. Singh turned against the government, was thrown
out of the Congress Party and emerged as the most important leader of the
opposition. As India also experienced a severe drought in 1987, this proved
to be the worst year for Rajiv Gandhi, but with a very comfortable
majority in parliament he could safely neglect all adverse conditions.
However, these conditions did not encourage him to call for a snap election
in 1988 when the harvest was good. He finally announced elections at
rather short notice to be held in November 1989. The major opposition
parties, Janata Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party, agreed not to stand against
each other and nominated their candidates for the constituencies
accordingly. In this way they succeeded in capturing a large number of