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BJP avoids another Buta, persuades Sukh Ram to quit

Rajesh Ramachandran in New Delhi

Former Union minister Sukh Ram, whose prosecution by the Central Bureau of Investigation for his alleged role in the telecom scam was sanctioned by the President, has agreed to step down from the Himachal Pradesh government, according to Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman K L Sharma.

BJP sources said it was possible that Sukh Ram might have been persuaded to resign, by offering a ministerial berth in exchange to his son Anil Sharma at the Centre.

Sukh Ram was summoned to Delhi today by BJP leaders, of whom he met Prime Minister A B Vajpayee and BJP national secretary in-charge of HP, Narendra Modi.

In a show of strength, Sukh Ram came to Delhi with three of his MLAs in tow. After his discussions with the PM, during which he was asked to resign, Sukh Ram gave his consent. The Centre is also believed to have agreed to soft-pedal on the cases against him, as a further sop.

Unlike with Buta Singh, who refused to quit in similar circumstances and had to be sacked, the BJP apparently succeeded in getting Sukh Ram out of the way rather smoothly -- leading to the belief that in a quid pro quo, Anil Sharma would be made a minister of state during the next ministerial expansion, expected before the Budget session of Parliament.

"Some arrangement has been worked out with Sukh Ram, and making his son a central minister is a possibility," said a senior BJP leader.

The BJP's caution is understandable, since the existence of the Prem Kumar Dhumal government in Himachal depends on a wafer-thin majority provided by Sukh Ram's Himachal Vikas Party.

Meanwhile, two of his MLAs had joined the BJP, but sources close to Sukh Ram said they are personally loyal to him and would not allow the BJP to let him down completely.

Sukh Ram had insisted and got the speaker's post for one of his legislators, and the BJP knows only too well the importance of the presiding officer in the state assembly.

The BJP has been assured that Sukh Ram would not play any mischief, at least for the time-being. "He may not fester a crisis immediately, but would wait for some provocation," a BJP official said.

The BJP also does not want to precipitate a crisis on the eve of the election to the Mandi Lok Sabha and four assembly seats, slated for June.

Mandi is Sukh Ram's pocket borough and he is in the fray. The BJP, however, is more interested in the four seats, winning which would make a lot of difference to it in the Himachal assembly.

Sukh Ram has demonstrated that he is no pushover in the state by getting three others elected and manage the second highest margin for himself in the assembly election in the state.

Though the heat was turned on him after the President sanctioned his prosecution for his alleged role in the telecom scam, Chief Minister Dhumal had said he would not seek Sukh Ram's resignation.

For Sukh Ram, this will be the second time he resigns from a ministerial position. Earlier, when the telecom scam rocked the nation and Parliament, he had to step down, and was expelled from the Congress after the discovery of millions of rupees in his house.

Meanwhile, UNI reports that Special Judge Ajit Bharihoke has fixed May 23 for consideration of framing charges against Sukh Ram in the case relating to recovery of disproportionate wealth from his home.

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