Allies may run riot for BJP

Many of the BJP’s allies, especially the Samata, had expressed displeasure with Modi for looking the other way when Muslims were attacked after the Godhra killings.

The riots will figure prominently in the Congress campaign, with the party trying to mobilise the secular votes and the BJP those of the Hindus. This may force the Samata and the JD(U) to take a stand on the issue.

‘‘It is not that the riots will be the only issue during the campaign, but we will certainly speak out on it. There are other important issues too, such as water and development,’’ says Samata spokesman Shambu Srivastava.

But he says this will cause no friction between the Samata and the NDA at the Centre. Srivastava cites the last Assam Assembly elections where his party put up candidates against the BJP-AGP combine. ‘‘This didn’t lead to bad blood between us. In any case, every political party has the right to expand its base,’’ he says.

Srivastava points out that except for Bihar and Jharkhand, the NDA doesn’t exist in any other state. The Samata has MLAs in Manipur and Assam where it contested elections on its own.

In Gujarat, Srivastava says, the party controls four municipalities and a district panchayat. It has about 90 sarpanches in the Saurashtra region. ‘‘The party has been gaining strength over the last few years under the leadership of Praveen Singh Jadeja, who was a minister in the Chimanbhai Patel government,’’ he adds.

On October 29, Samata Party chief George Fernandes spoke with BJP president Venkaiah Naidu about the possibility of seat adjustments. Naidu is yet to respond.