Indian PM survives no-confidence vote

THE Indian Prime Minister, Narasimha Rao, scraped through a no-confidence motion by 262 to 248 votes, surviving the toughest political challenge yet to his two-year-old minority government.

Left, right and centre political parties banded together yesterday to try to bring down Mr Rao. The move to oust him came after allegations that he had accepted an illegal payment from a Bombay stockbroker who is accused of masterminding a huge financial scam that rocked the country's economy. Political opponents also said the Congress government's radical economic reforms had failed.

Mr Rao achieved victory only by dividing the 20-seat Janata Dal (A) party and by rallying all his Congress party faithful. One woman Congress MP was wheeled in, wrapped in a blanket and shaking with fever. Panic spread among Congress MPs in the lower house during the fierce debate on the no-confidence vote when it became apparent that the smaller regional parties which have usually propped up Mr Rao's rickety government could not be safely counted on. But the defection of eight Janata Dal MPs swung the vote.

The Prime Minister sat impassively throughout the debate and then left soon after the vote. Earlier, he refused to answer claims that he had taken a suitcase stuffed with more than pounds 215,000 in rupees from the Bombay broker Harshad Mehta. A former prime minister, Chandra Shekhar, scolded Mr Rao: 'How can people believe you are clean? Congressmen, take courage and remove the leader.'

The Congress party is seething with intrigues led by regional barons who want to dump Mr Rao. But the leading rebels rallied behind the Prime Minister for fear that an early election might sweep Congress out of power across India. The right- wing Hindu revivalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which combined forces with such unlikely partners as the Communists for the no-confidence vote, has made deep inroads into Congress strongholds. Although displeased with Mr Rao's leadership, many Congress politicians say their secular party is too weak and divided to defeat the BJP's religious appeal to the nation's overwhelmingly Hindu majority if India is rushed into fresh polls.