BJP Future - 7

[ramana]

Not likely....



Pioneer reports

Thursday, June 24, 2010





BJP, JD(U) bury hatchet



PNS | New Delhi



After nearly 10 days of brinkmanship, the BJP and Janata Dal(United) seemed ready to set aside their differences and make a new beginning in their relationship in the run-up to the Assembly polls six months from now.



With the BJP taking strong exception to news reports that JD(U) wants Narendra Modi and Varun Gandhi out of Bihar campaign, the JD(U) denied having set any such condition.



“We have not set any such condition for the alliance to continue. The reports are baseless.



Of course, Nitish is our leader and he would lead the campaign,” JD(U) general secretary-cum-spokesman Shivanand Tiwary told The Pioneer on Friday.



On its part, the BJP said it was “quite obvious” that Nitish would be the face of the campaign. “The Chief Minister of a State is obviously the face of the campaign in that part of the country. It is the case with Narendra Modi in Gujarat, Prakash Singh Badal in Punjab and Nitish Kumar in Bihar. There is no confusion about it,” BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said.



“Sharad Yadav and Nitish Kumar have not said anything on who should campaign and who should not. And even if such a condition is laid down (by JD-U) we will not accept,” Javadekar said.



Sources claimed senior BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and M Venkaiah Naidu have conveyed to Nitish Kumar and JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav that such conditions were not acceptable to it and that the party would decide who its campaigners would be.



While even Bihar unit of BJP is not keen to rope in Modi in the campaign, it is upset with JD(U) for going overboard in taking an anti-Modi stand and putting the BJP in an awkward situation.



Besides, some BJP leaders feel the party had given a free run to Nitish in the last four-and-a-half years and there should be a “check and balance” system in place.



Suggestions to have a common minimum programme and a coordination committee to oversee the functioning of the alliance Government in the State was also made during the last night meeting between BJP president Nitin Gadkari and the core group of Bihar BJP. Though, there was a general consensus that alliance should continue in the interest of the State.



“Gadkari has conveyed to us that he would keep our sentiments in mind before taking a final call on this matter,” a senior leader from Bihar told The Pioneer. BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said the party would come out with “a comprehensive and good reply” to all questions (about fate of the NDA in Bihar) in next 24 hours.



While the State unit of the party appeared keen on continuing alliance, it was “hurt” with Nitish’s decision to return Rs 5 crore of flood relief fund to Gujarat. This issue also figured during the last night meeting.



“The BJP and JD(U) are keen to run a good Government and serve the people. That unfortunate incident (involving the advertisement showing Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Modi and the reaction of Kumar) was avoidable,” M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here on Wednesday.



“We do not know the reason why Rs 5 crore was returned. The money does not belong to Narendra Modi and it was not given to Nitish Kumar.... We don’t know why it was returned. We are hurt by that,” Naidu said, adding the money belonged to the people of Gujarat and was given to Bihar for flood relief.



BJP spokesperson and former Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain echoed similar views in saying, “We want to continue with the coalition for the development of Bihar but will not compromise on self-respect.”