May 3, 1999

Gamang's vote in parliament may have earned him praise from the Congress. But that could be his undoing back home, given the public and political disapproval of the act.

By Ruben Banerjee

For someone whose USP in politics has been his ability to disappear among the Congress backbenchers and maintain an unusually low profile, Orissa Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang must have had the most uncomfortable time of his life in the Lok Sabha last fortnight. For over an hour, he was the topic of a heated debate, with veteran parliamentarians waving the rule books on whether Gamang, who is still an MP, should be allowed to vote during the April 17 confidence motion moved by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Speaker eventually left it to Gamang's "good sense" to decide whether he should vote or not. The trusted Congress soldier followed the party line and, under the gaze of the entire nation, decided to vote against the motion. His decision sealed the fate of the bjp-led government.

Without uttering a word during the tense two-day debate on the confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, Gamang stole the show from the more prominent political players and overnight achieved a degree of fame -- critics would describe it as notoriety -- that has eluded him throughout his eight consecutive terms as an MP. By the end of the week, this unassuming tribal politician from Orissa's backward Koraput district had become, alternately, the target of the most fulsome praise from his partymen in Delhi and the bitterest opprobrium from those who thought his action was undemocratic and unethical. His critics feel that as the leader of the Orissa Assembly, he should not have voted in the Lok Sabha even though he is yet to vacate his membership of the House.

"I voted since my party wanted me to vote," insists Gamang. "My party's conscience is my conscience." The words may please the Congress high command in Delhi, but they spell trouble for him in his home state. Opposition leaders in Bhubaneswar are already baying for his blood. "Gamang has brought shame to Orissa," says state BJP spokesman Shyamananda Mohapatra. To protest against the chief minister's action, a united opposition observed a statewide "rasta roko" on April 21. With more rallies and dharnas planned in the near future, Gamang has a tough time ahead. "Gamang has no conscience and so, no moral right to be the chief minister," says Debendra Pradhan, BJP leader and Union minister of state for surface transport in the outgoing government. Gamang's partymen, however, dismiss the barbs. "Gamang has played by the rules. The Opposition is needlessly politicising his vote," says state Congress General Secretary Bhaktacharan Das.

The local fallout of the vote: a belligerent opposition and a spell of political instability in the state. The public mood, too, has turned hostile towards Gamang after the vote. "Orissa is guilt-ridden for what its chief minister has done," says Manoranjan Parida, a Bhubaneswar executive. "Politically Right, Morally Wrong", said the headline of Oriya daily Paryabekhyak.

For Gamang, however, it was a small price to pay for earning the pleasure of his party high command to which he owes his entire political career. Ever since he first got elected to Lok Sabha in 1971, Gamang has been at pains to stay on the right side of the Congress leadership. A great believer in astrology, both his planetary formations and the high command in Delhi have been favourably inclined towards him so far. He has been a Union minister in successive Congress regimes since Indira Gandhi. He was also Sonia Gandhi's chosen one two months ago when the party was looking for a successor to J.B. Patnaik in Orissa, though just two ruling party legislators rooted for him.

Gamang for one has never tried to hide that his biggest strength lies in his proximity to the party bosses. Without a support base of his own in the state and having been foisted by Delhi, the new chief minister rules over a hostile territory where foes far outnumber friends -- even within the Congress. Uncooperative partymen and a combative opposition are making governance difficult in the state.
Gamang's plus points are his accessibility and easy going nature. And he revels in them. "In my heart, I remain an ordinary man," he says. He has no qualms about stepping out of his official chambers and giving the attendant in the corridor money to bring him some snacks. Endearing though these qualities may be, his penchant for dismissing crucial state matters with funny one-liners makes people wonder whether he is serious about his job. "My priority is to prioritise," quipped Gamang one day. At a meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industry recently, he said, "I do not believe in large-scale industries in small numbers and small-scale industries in large numbers." That left the captains of industry gaping.

Congressmen, however, see nothing wrong in Gamang's style of functioning or the controversial vote. "Given that the end justifies the means, he has proved to be one of the most astute politicians," says one of his cabinet ministers. That seems to be the modern-day mantra for success in politics.

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