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THE BJP is pinning its hopes on four regional parties - the DMK,
TMC, TTDP and the AGP - to thwart the attempts of Congress(I)
president Sitaram Kesri to snatch power from Prime Minister H D
Deve Gowda.
The party - which is yet to respond to a request from Mr Gowda for
help conveyed to it through fellow Vokkaligga BJP legislator Nanje
Gowda and a journalist close to the party - is appprehensive that
the Congress(I) would manage to woo a large chunk of Janata Dal
legislators owing allegiance to Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, the
Samajwadi Party and numerous tiny groups in the Lok Sabha.
While this will swell the tally of the Congress(I), party managers
feel that the changed situation may gravitate other parties towards
Mr Kesri.
However, the tough stand of the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh,
Tainil Nadu and Assam today against any deal with the Congress(I)
has come as a major morale booster for the BJP. According to its
calculations, the development would prompt the 'wavering allies' of
Deve Gowda for a rethink.
The party was so far hoping that its support to Mr Gowda, deserted
by his natural allies, would put it in a commanding position. "We
will be in a position to save him only if the two Yadavs leave him
and his tally comes down to the minimum" was the refrain.
Mr Kesri, who is playing the threat of mid-term election and the
untenability of a United Front-led government in the changed
scenario, is playing on the fears of the average Parliamentarian
about 'premature retirement.
That it has been successful to some extent was evident at the
meeting of the UF steering committee, when almost every leader
wanted the Front to adopt a strategy that can avert an early
election.
The ascension of Mr Kesri, who has the necessary wherewithal to
hold on to power, is sure to upset the plans of the BJP.
While the party is keen to have an early election to cash in on the
contradictions in its rival camp, the elevation of Kesri to the top
slot and his potential to last may diminish the expected returns.
The BJP, which wants the next election to be fought under a lame
duck prime minister, is wary of any stable arrangement at the
Centre.
What is also worrying the party is the prospect of the power being
transferred to a politician from the Hindi heartland - its main
catchment area. The continuance of Mr Gowda, it is expected, will
give the party a theme song in the North - that it can restore the
past glory of the region.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters, party spokesperson Sushma Swaraj
questioned the propriety of the UF government for announcing the
new five-year Exim Policy and demanded that it should not take any
major policy decisions till it secures the vote of confidence on
April 11.
"A government which does not enjoy a majority has no right to take
major policy
decision and it should desist from doing so till April 11," she
said.
She insisted that since the withdrawal of support by Congress(I) on
March 30, the United Front government did not have the authority to
take such major decisions. Ms Swaraj said the BJP parliamentary
party would now be meeting on April 10 instead of April 6 as the
vote of confidence in Lok Sabha is rescheduled.
On the issue of the passage of the Budget in the Lok Sabha, the
party refused to dilute its stand against taking it up before the
confidence vote.
Senior party leader Jaswant Singh told reporters that the trust
vote would in no way affect the financial needs of the government.
He said the Budget had already been passed by Parliament and a vote
on account had been taken which is valid till June end.
Mr Singh said the Finance Bill has yet to be passed which is a
constitutional necessity. But, the bill gives effect only to the
taxation and other proposals in the Budget.
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