Southern politicians steer India's new regime

SOUTHERN Karnataka state Chief Minister HD Deve Gowda, 63, became India’s Prime Minister on 1 June, after President Shanker Dayal Sharma invited the Third Front alliance to form the government following the failure of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to demonstrate a majority in Parliament.

Earlier BJP’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee resigned, becoming India’s shortest serving Prime Minister. Congress (I) will support the Third Front if only to keep the Hindu-fanatic BJP out of power. The 14-member Third Front also included Tamil Nadu’s DMK and the new Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) formed by Congress (I) dissident GK Moopanar.

The DMK and TMC won 211 of the 235 seats in the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly elections. Ms Jayalalitha’s ruling AIADMK was trounced winning only four seats. Her ally in the state, Congress (I), sunk with her without winning a single seat. Despite a low-key campaign on Sri Lankan issues pro-LTTE party V Gopalasamy’s MDMK suffered a humiliating defeat.

Mr M Karunanidhi’s election as new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is viewed with some apprehension in Sri Lanka. Colombo newspapers say Mr Karunanidhi will come under pressure from pro-LTTE lobbies to take a more conciliatory approach to the Tigers. In the past Mr Karunanidhi has supported the LTTE when it politically suited him. He disclaimed support for the Tigers before the April elections and is expected to follow the dictates of New Delhi.

The Indian Home Ministry extended the 1992 ban on the LTTE for a further two years on 14 May. Some observers say Mr Karunanidhi will wait until the Rajiv Gandhi murder trial is completed before any commitment.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) which probed the Rajiv assassination is facing new allegations of incompetence. Twenty six people, including LTTE leader V Prabhakaran were charged with the killing in August 1992. But the Jain Commission looking into conspiracies behind the murder says there are gaps in the investigation.

According to New Delhi journal India Today, SIT failed to probe the link between the Rajiv assassination in May 1991 and the killing of EPRLF leader K Pathmanabha in June 1990. SIT is also accused of failing to investigate the connection between the Rajiv assassins and some DMK members and international links to arms dealers.

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