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The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday decided to adopt a policy of
"wait and watch" over the fast developing and fluid national
political situation in the wake of withdrawal of support to the
United Front Government by the Congress.
Top party leaders also expressed the opinion that the country was
moving towards an inevitable mid-term general elections, most
likely in this year itself.
BJP president L K Advani told newsmen in an informal chat after the
end of an hour-long emergency meeting of all available party
national executive members that "we have not decided on BJP's
future role. "
According to sources, Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda held telephonic
conversations with top BJP leaders to inform them of the sudden
political developments that culminated into the drastic action by
the Congress.
Before going in for the emergency meeting, Mr Advani told
reporters, "Events are moving towards mid-term polls." Among those
who attended the meeting chaired by Mr Advani, were BJP veteran and
leader of the Opposition ' Atal Behari Vajpayee, Murli Manohar
Joshi, Vijayaraje Scindia, Krishanlal Sharma, K R Malkani, Jena
Krishnamurthy, Kedar. Nath Sahni, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Sushma
Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.,
Mr Vajpayee was of the opinion that withdrawal of support to the UF
Government by the Congress would lead to mid-term polls. "No party
at the Centre would now be in a position to form a Government and a
snap poll is inevitable," he said.
"The inevitable has happened. It stands established that a
Government cannot survive merely on the negative plank of
anti-BJPism. Not content with the collapse of the 14-party UF
Government, efforts are on to form yet another Government without a
mandate, a Government merely on the basis of fresh Congress
manoeuvres. If the 14-party Government was a disaster, Mr Kesri's
proposed experiment can only be a catastrophe. One experiment has
collapsed, the other may not take off," the BJP said in a prepared
statement, recording its considered reaction on the fast-paced
political developments on Sunday.
Talking to newsmen after the meeting, Mr Advani said, "The
Bharatiya Janata Party recognises its role as a principal
opposition party in the Lok Sabha and it cannot be a detached
observer."
The BJP president added that the party considered itself as a major
player in the developing political situation, and asserted, "we
have always played a constructive role.
But for the moment "we have decided to adopt a wait and watch
policy," Mr Advani said, adding that the developments were serious
enough to warrant the deferment of the party's national council
meeting.
He, however, refused to be drawn into any conversation regarding
whether the Bharatiya Janata Party would try and form the
Government or if it was trying for support from other political
formations for the same.
"We did not consider these issues at today's (Sunday's) meeting as
there is no clarity as' to what final shape the events will take,"
Mr Advani said.
He added that he had an inkling of these developments, but did not
know that it would be so sudden.
Mr Advani said that during informal chat with Congress leaders at a
banquet couple of days ago, he was given to understand that a
Congress move was on, but could not anticipate it to be so fast.
The ball had now shifted to the President's court and it would now
depend on what decision President Shankar Dayal Sharma took on the
developments, Mr Advani said.
In such a situation, the Bharatiya Janata Party would monitor the
developments closely and respond appropriately at the appropriate
time, the BJP president added.
But efforts were on to substitute a Government, which had no
mandate with another, Mr Advani said referring to the reported
claim staked by Congress party president Sitaram Kesri to form the
Government. But given the very nature and composition of the 11th
Lok Sabha, forming a Government by anyone would be difficult, he
felt.
Earlier briefing newsmen on the emergency meeting, BJP spokesperson
Sushma Swaraj said that the party would adopt a "wait and watch"
attitude on the political developments. "Much would depend on
the action of the President," she said.
She added that the party was not surprised over the developments
and said that the 'inevitable' had happened.
The executive members will meet again on Monday to take stock of
the situation, Ms Sharma observed, indicating that the Bharatiya
Janata Party had kept all options open.
Though the party would press for dissolution of the Lok Sabha and a
mid-term poll, it was not averse to exploring other possibilities
that might arise in the fluid but developing situation, the party
sources indicated.
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