కె.ఆర్. నారాయణన్: కూర్పుల మధ్య తేడాలు

1992 ఆగస్టు 21 న నారాయణన్ భారత ఉపరాష్ట్రపతిగా ఎన్నుకోబడ్డాడు. అప్పటి రాష్ట్రపతి శంకర్ దయాళ్ శర్మ. ఉపరాష్ట్రపతి అభ్యర్థిగా నారాయణన్ పేరును మొదటి సారిగా జనతాదళ్ పార్లమెంటరీ పార్టీ నాయకుడు, పూర్వపు భారతదేశ ప్రధానమంత్రి వి.పి.సింగ్ ప్రతిపాదించాడు. జనతాదళ్ మరియు పార్లమెంటులోని వామపక్ష పార్టీలు ఉమ్మడిగా అతనిని అభ్యర్థిగా ప్రకటించాయి. ఇది తరువాత పి.వి. నరసింహారావు ఆధ్వర్యంలో కాంగ్రెస్ పార్టీ నుండి మద్దతు పొందింది, ఇది తన ఎన్నికలపై ఏకగ్రీవ నిర్ణయానికి దారితీసింది. వామపక్షంతో తనకు గల సంబంధంపై నారాయణన్ తరువాత వివరించాడు<ref name="ptt_int" />. అతనికి కమ్యూనిజం పై భక్తి గానీ విరోధం గానీ లేదని ప్రకటించాడు. వారు తన సైద్ధాంతిక వైవిధ్యాల గురించి తెలుసుకున్నారు కానీ తనకు ఉప రాష్ట్రపతిగా మద్దతునిచ్చారని, దేశంలో ఉన్న ప్రత్యేక రాజకీయ పరిస్థితుల కారణంగా. ఇలా జరిగిందని తెలియజేసాడు. అతను వారి మద్దతు నుండి ప్రయోజనం పొందాడు మరియు క్రమంగా వారి రాజకీయ స్థానాలు ఆమోదయోగ్యతను పొందాయి. 1992 డిసెంబరు 6 న బాబ్రీమసీదు విధ్వంసకాండ సమయంలో "ఇది మహాత్మా గాంధీ హత్య తరువాత భారత్ ఎదుర్కొన్న గొప్ప దుర్ఘటన " అని ఆయన వివరించాడు.<ref name="ram_int" />

 

 

K. R. Narayanan was elected to the Presidency of India<ref>{{cite web|url=http://alfa.nic.in/hm/p1.html|title=Results of Presidential poll|accessdate=2017-04-03|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19970801044230/http://alfa.nic.in/hm/p1.html|archivedate=1 August 1997|deadurl=bot: unknown|df=}}, 17 July 1997. Archived Aug. 1997.</ref> (17 July 1997) with 95% of the votes in the [[electoral college]], as a result of the [[President of India#Election of the President|Presidential poll]] on 14 July. This is the only Presidential election to have been held with a [[minority government]] holding power at the centre. [[T. N. Seshan]] was the sole opposing candidate, and all major parties save the [[Shiv Sena]] supported his candidature.,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://us.rediff.com/news/jul/11amber.htm|title=The importance of a dalit President|accessdate=2 May 2006|publisher=Rediff|last=Diwanji|first=Amberish K.|year=1997}}</ref> while Seshan alleged that Narayanan had been elected solely for being a Dalit.

He was sworn in as the President of India (25 July 1997) by Chief Justice [[J. S. Verma]] in the [[Central Hall of Parliament]]. In his inaugural address,<ref>K. R. Narayanan: {{cite web|url=http://alfa.nic.in/rb/krn_asum.htm|title=Inaugural address|accessdate=2017-04-03|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19970804210818/http://alfa.nic.in/rb/krn_asum.htm|archivedate=4 August 1997|deadurl=bot: unknown|df=}}, 25 July 1997. Archived Aug. 1997.</ref> he said:<blockquote>That the nation has found a consensus for its highest office in some one who has sprung from the grass-roots of our society and grown up in the dust and heat of this sacred land is symbolic of the fact that the concerns of the common man have now moved to the centre stage of our social and political life. It is this larger significance of my election rather than any personal sense of honour that makes me rejoice on this occasion.</blockquote>

 

 

The principal event of the golden jubilee of Indian independence was President K. R. Narayanan's midnight address to the nation<ref>K. R. Narayanan: [http://pib.myiris.com/speech/article.php3?fl=010620191911 Address on the golden jubilee of Indian independence] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630093042/http://pib.myiris.com/speech/article.php3?fl=010620191911|date=30 June 2006}}, 15 August 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2006.</ref> during the special session of Parliament convened on the night of 14 August; in this address, he identified the establishment of a democratic system of government and politics to be the greatest achievement of India since independence. The following morning, Prime Minister [[Inder Kumar Gujral|I. K. Gujral]], addressing the nation<ref>I. K. Gujral: [http://www.india50.com/speecH1.html Address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red fort on the golden jubilee of Indian independence], 15 August 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2006.</ref> from the ramparts of the [[Red Fort]], said:<blockquote>When Gandhiji dreamt of India's future, he had said that the country will attain the real freedom only on the day when a Dalit would become the President of this country. This is our great fortune that today on the eve of golden jubilee of independence, we have been able to fulfil this dream of Gandhiji. In the person of Shri K. R. Narayanan we have been able to fulfil the dream of Gandhiji. Our President of whom the whole country is proud of, is from a very poor and downtrodden family and today he has endowed the Rashtrapati Bhavan with a new pride and respect. It is a matter of further happiness that the President has a very high place among the intellectuals of this country. This is a feather in the cap of our democracy that the backward sections of the society today are attaining their rightful place in society. All the countrymen today whether they are from minorities, scheduled castes [Dalits], or scheduled tribes [Adivasis] -- are working unitedly for the development of the country.</blockquote>

 

 

In the [[Indian general elections 1977-1999#1998|general elections of 1998]], K. R. Narayanan became the first sitting President to vote (16 February 1998), casting his vote at a polling booth in a school within the [[Rashtrapati Bhavan]] complex after standing in a queue like an ordinary citizen. He insisted on casting his vote, despite the departure from precedent being pointed out to him. Narayanan sought to change what was a long-standing practice of Indian presidents not voting during general elections.<ref name="krn_vote">Sukumar Muralidharan: [http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1505/15050260.htm "A role for the President"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060628032831/http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1505/15050260.htm|date=28 June 2006}}, ''Frontline'' '''15''' (5), 7–20 March 1998. Retrieved 24 February 2006.</ref><ref name="intervention_suku">Sukumar Muralidharan: [http://www.flonnet.com/fl1803/18031200.htm "A presidential intervention"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050923105507/http://www.flonnet.com/fl1803/18031200.htm|date=23 September 2005}}, ''Frontline'' '''18''' (3), 3–16 February 2001. Retrieved 24 February 2006.</ref> He also exercised his franchise as President in the [[Indian general elections 1977-1999#1999|1999 general elections]].

 

 

President K. R. Narayanan's address to the nation<ref name="rep">K. R. Narayanan: [http://www.indiatogether.org/opinions/speeches/krn2000.htm Address to the nation on the golden jubilee of the Republic], 26 January 2000. Retrieved 24 February 2006. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324080606/http://www.indiatogether.org/opinions/speeches/krn2000.htm|date=24 March 2015}}</ref> on the golden jubilee of the Indian Republic (26 January 2000) is considered a landmark:<ref name="venkat">V. Venkatesan: [http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1703/17030280.htm "A wake-up call"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050218180907/http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1703/17030280.htm|date=18 February 2005}}, ''Frontline'' '''17''' (3), 5–18 February 2000. Retrieved 17 March 2006.</ref> it was the first time<ref name="joseph">Ammu Joseph: [http://www.humanscape.org/Humanscape/2000/April/hs40012t.htm "Areas of darkness"], ''Humanscape'', April 2000 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703151439/http://www.humanscape.org/Humanscape/2000/April/hs40012t.htm|date=3 July 2010}}</ref> a President attempted to analyse, with due concern for growing disparities, the several ways in which the country had failed<ref name="sainath">P. Sainath:[http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1703/17030290.htm "Iron in the soul, decay in the brain"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051013063948/http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl1703/17030290.htm|date=13 October 2005}}, ''Frontline'' '''17''' (3), 5–18 February 2000. Retrieved 17 March 2006.</ref> to provide economic justice to the Indian people, particularly the rural and agrarian population; he also stated that discontent was breeding and frustrations erupting in violence among the deprived sections of society. In his address to Parliament<ref>K. R. Narayanan: [http://www.india-seminar.com/2000/487/487%20narayanan.htm Address to parliament on the golden jubilee of the Republic], 26 January 2000. Retrieved 24 February 2006.</ref> later that day, he praised the work of [[B. R. Ambedkar]] on the [[Constitution of India|Indian constitution]] and cautioned against attempts to change its basic structure, concurring with Ambedkar's preference for accountability and responsibility over the stability of the government. He reiterated this in stronger terms in his next Republic day address (2001);<ref name="rep_2001">K. R. Narayanan: [http://meaindia.nic.in/speech/2001/01/25spc01.htm Address on Republic day], 26 January 2001. Retrieved 24 February 2006. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410180833/http://meaindia.nic.in/speech/2001/01/25spc01.htm|date=10 April 2009}}</ref> on this occasion, he took exception to certain proposals seeking to abridge the franchise, and pointed out the wisdom of reposing faith in the common men and women of India as a whole, rather than in some elite section of society.

In these addresses, he articulated opinions which departed in many ways from certain views of the [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee|A. B. Vajpayee]] government.<ref name="intervention_suku" /><ref>Sukumar Muralidharan, V. Venkatesan: [http://www.flonnet.com/fl1703/17030250.htm "A presidential intervention"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051230083515/http://www.flonnet.com/fl1703/17030250.htm|date=30 December 2005}}, ''Frontline'' '''17''' (3), 5 – 18 February 2000. Retrieved 24 February 2006.</ref>

 

President Narayanan introduced the important practice of explaining to the nation (by means of Rashtrapati Bhavan communiqués) the thinking that led to the various decisions he took while exercising his discretionary powers; this has led to openness and transparency in the functioning of the President.

 

 

During his Presidency, Narayanan dissolved the [[Lok Sabha]] twice after determining through consultations across the political spectrum, that no one was in a position to secure the confidence of the house. Congress president [[Sitaram Kesri]] withdrew his party's support of the [[I. K. Gujral]] government and staked his claim to form the government on 28 November 1997. Gujral advised Narayanan of the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. President Narayanan determined that no one would be able to secure a majority in the Lok Sabha and accepted Gujral's advice<ref>K. R. Narayanan: {{cite web|url=http://alfa.nic.in/rb/pr003.htm|title=Rashtrapati Bhavan communique concerning the dissolution of the eleventh Lok Sabha|accessdate=2017-04-03|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19980119180543/http://alfa.nic.in/rb/pr003.htm|archivedate=19 January 1998|deadurl=bot: unknown|df=}}, 4 December 1997. Archived Jan. 1998.</ref> (4 December). In the ensuing general elections, the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) emerged as the single largest party, leading the largest pre-election coalition, the [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|National Democratic Alliance]] (NDA), and the coalition leader [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee|Vajpayee]] staked his claim to form the government, though at that point he did not have a majority. Narayanan asked Vajpayee to furnish letters of support to demonstrate the NDA's ability to secure a majority. Vajpayee was able to meet this demand after support for the NDA grew, and subsequently he was appointed Prime Minister<ref>K. R. Narayanan: {{cite web|url=http://alfa.nic.in/rb/pr032.htm|title=Rashtrapati Bhavan communique concerning the appointment of the Prime minister|accessdate=2017-04-03|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19990218135627/http://alfa.nic.in/rb/pr032.htm|archivedate=18 February 1999|deadurl=bot: unknown|df=}}, 15 March 1998. Archived Feb. 1999.</ref> (15 March 1998) on the condition (which was met) that a vote of confidence be secured within 10 days.<ref name="krn_vote" />

In these decisions, President Narayanan set a new precedent concerning the appointment of a Prime minister – if no party or pre-election coalition had a majority, then a person would be appointed Prime minister only if he was able to convince the President (through letters of support from allied parties) of his ability to secure the confidence of the house. In doing so, he diverged from the actions of his predecessors who had been faced with the task of appointing a Prime minister from a [[hung parliament]], Presidents [[Neelam Sanjivareddy|N. Sanjiva Reddy]], [[R. Venkataraman]], and [[Shankar Dayal Sharma]]: the latter two had followed the practice of inviting the leader of the single largest party or pre-election coalition to form the government without investigating their ability to secure the confidence of the house.

 

 

President Narayanan returned for reconsideration the advices from the Union cabinet to impose [[President's rule]] in a state, in accordance with Article 356, in two instances: one from the Gujral government (22 October 1997) seeking to dismiss the [[Kalyan Singh]] government in [[Uttar Pradesh]],<ref>Venkitesh Ramakrishnan, Praveen Swami: [http://www.flonnet.com/fl1422/14220040.htm "A crisis defused"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041216190120/http://www.flonnet.com/fl1422/14220040.htm|date=16 December 2004}}, ''Frontline'' '''14''' (22), 1–14 November 1997. Retrieved 24 February 2006.</ref> and the other from the Vajpayee government (25 September 1998) seeking to dismiss the [[Rabri Devi]] government in [[Bihar]].<ref>[[Praveen Swami]], Sudha Mahalingam: [http://www.hindu.com/fline/fl1521/15210040.htm "The BJP's Bihar fiasco"], ''Frontline'' '''15''' (21), 10–23 October 1998. Retrieved 24 February 2006.</ref> In both instances, he cited the [[Supreme Court of India|Supreme court]] judgement of 1994 on ''[[S. R. Bommai vs. Union of India]]'' and exercised his discretion. In both cases, the cabinet honoured the President's reservations. These remain the only occasions when a President urged such a reconsideration, and has set an important precedent concerning [[federalism]] and the rights of state governments.

 

 

A [[Kargil War|military conflict]] was developed in [[Kargil district|Kargil]] on the [[Line of Control]] (LoC) with [[Pakistan]] in May 1999. The [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee|Vajpayee government]] had lost a no-confidence vote in Lok Sabha earlier that year and the opposition failed to form the next government. The Lok Sabha had been dissolved and a [[caretaker government]] was in office. This caused a problem with democratic accountability, as every major government decision is expected to be discussed, deliberated and consented by the parliament. Narayanan suggested to Vajpayee that the [[Rajya Sabha]] be convened to discuss the conflict, as demanded by several opposition parties (citing the precedent of Nehru convening a parliamentary session on Vajpayee's demand during the Sino-Indian war in 1962 ) though there was no precedent of convening the Rajya Sabha in isolation during an interregnum.<ref>V. Venkatesan: [http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1615/16150230.htm "Political echoes"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629035018/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1615/16150230.htm|date=29 June 2006}}, ''Frontline'' '''16''' (15), 17–30 July 1999. Retrieved 24 February 2006.</ref> Further, Narayanan was briefed by the chiefs of the three arms of the [[Indian Armed Forces]] on the conduct of the conflict. His Republic day address next year<ref name="rep" /> began by paying homage to the soldiers who had died defending the nation.

 

President Narayanan in his speeches consistently sought to remind the nation of its duties and obligations towards the Dalits and [[Adivasi]]s, the minorities, and the poor and downtrodden. He called the nation's attention to various recalcitrant social ills and evils, such as atrocities against women and children, caste discrimination and the ingrained attitudes it nurtured, abuse of the [[Natural environment|environment]] and public utilities, corruption and lack of accountability in the delivery of public services, [[religious fundamentalism]], advertisement-driven consumerism, and flouting of human rights, and lamented the absence of public concern, political debate, and civic action to address them. Drawing from the experiences of his own home state [[Kerala]], he pointed out that education was at the root of human and economic development. He hoped that the establishment would not fear the awakening of the masses through education, and spoke of the need to have faith in the people.<ref name="ram_int" /><ref name="rep" /><ref>K. R. Narayanan: [http://pib.myiris.com/speech/article.php3?fl=010618202022 Speech] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630093052/http://pib.myiris.com/speech/article.php3?fl=010618202022|date=30 June 2006}} while inaugurating the new complex of the Kerala Legislature, 22 May 1998. Retrieved 24 February 2006.</ref>

 

Reflecting on his Presidency, K. R. Narayanan said:<ref name="ptt_int" /><blockquote>As the President of India, I had lots of experiences that were full of pain and helplessness. There were occasions when I could do nothing for people and for the nation. These experiences have pained me a lot. They have depressed me a lot. I have agonised because of the limitations of power. Power and the helplessness surrounding it are a peculiar tragedy, in fact.</blockquote>

 

After his retirement as President, K. R. Narayanan, along with his wife Usha, lived his remaining years in a central Delhi bungalow (on 34 [[Prithviraj Road]]).