The Indian Constitution does not provide for posts like the Deputy Prime Minister or the Deputy Chief Minister. But still, the appointments of Deputy Prime Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers have become a practice so as to meet political exigencies. They are in fact Cabinet Ministers, albeit with a glorified designation. In general practice, the position is given to a member of the coalition party when the government is formed with the support of various parties or a factional leader so as appease dissident elements within the party in power. Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Morarji Desai, Choudhary Charan Singh, Jagajivan Ram and Devi Lal served as Deputy Prime Ministers of India. But there are some interesting episodes. Karnataka state has at present two Deputy Chief Ministers. They are K.S. Eshwarappa and R. Ashok. Both of them were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj as Deputy Chief Ministers. While the appointment of two Deputy Chief Ministers in a single-party government is itself a surprise, their swearing-in by the Governor was in violation of Article 164 of the Constitution. It is said, the swearing-in could have ended with a walkout had Eshwarappa and Ashok not been administered their oath as Deputy Chief Ministers by the Governor. The two leaders did not want to be sworn in as mere Ministers and thereafter appointed Deputy Chief Ministers by the Chief Minister. And it was not the first time in Karnataka that such a swearing in has happened. In 2006 B.S. Yeddyurappa was sworn-in as Deputy Chief Minister by then Governor, T.N. Chaturvedi. Yet, there is another classic case which happened in the case of Devi Lal. In the book “Commissions and Omissions of Indian Presidents” former President, R. Venkataraman wrote: “I asked my Secretary to convey to V.P. Singh that Devi Lal could be sworn in as a Minister and designated later as Deputy Prime Minister. But before anything could be finalised, the swearing-in ceremony commenced and V.P. Singh was sworn in as Prime Minister. Then Devi Lal was presented and when I administered oath as Mantri, he insisted reading it as Upa Pradhan Mantri. I corrected him saying Mantri again but the second time too he read it as Upa Pradhan Mantra. It was fully displayed in the live telecast of the proceedings. I did not want to create an ugly scene and therefore allowed Devi Lal to proceed as he wished.” Interestingly the Supreme Court had accepted an argument that Devi Lal is only a Minister like the other members of the Council of Ministers though he has been described as Deputy Prime Minister and that it does not confer on him any power of the Prime Minister. This throws up another question. Can a Deputy PM or Deputy CM could function like a full-fledged CM in the absence of the CM in the state? The Chief Minister of Goa Manohar Parrikar says the post of Deputy Chief Minister is not a constitutional post but an executive post, and that a Deputy Chief Minister becomes a functional Chief Minister, in the absence of the Chief Minister in the state. Whatever be his interpretation, the powers and function of a Deputy CM is still a matter of debate. In the state of Manipur, the Home Minister Gaikhangam was recently appointed as the Deputy CM after about seven months in the current term. And it so happens that, the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh is out of station, away in Australia for a long trip. So, the most important question now is, can Gaikhangam exercise the powers and functions of a Chief Minister? He holds the portfolio of Horticulture and Social Conservation besides Home. But, the most crucial portfolio of Finance is with the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and he holds the purse-strings. And this is happening at a time when the most important festival of the state ‘NINGOL-CHAKKOUBA’ is just round the corner. Manipur had just recovered from a long spell of overdraft season and everyone has been expecting the purse-strings to be untied on the eve of the festival. But, the Finance Minister is not in station and whether the newly appointed Deputy CM could exercise the powers of Finance Minister also is still a question. Long live Manipur!
