BJP hopes to clinch win in LS from a divided Oppn

The BJP believes that Congress was not interested in running a coalition Government and would rather prefer early elections. But since no party except Congress wanted elections, they will support Vajpayee Government, directly or indirectly. The scare of mid-term polls was part of BJP’s strategy to woo fence-sitters.

“The DMK cannot be seen on the same platform as AIADMK, and TMC too would have to follow suit due to its antipathy for Jayalalitha. Similarly, Lok Dal leaders cannot align with the Congress” claimed a senior BJP leader today.

Two BJP general secretaries, KN Govindacharya and M Venkaiah Naidu camped in Chennai for two days, trying to establish contact with DMK and TMC leaders. The party has entrusted old guard Madan Lal Khurana to persuade Lok Dal chief Om Prakash Chautala and feelers have been sent to BSP leaders Kanshi Ram and Mayawati to back the BJP.

The Home Minister, Lal Krishna Advani’s admission that parliamentary arithmetic was against the BJP, reflected the state of despondency within the party.

The state of confusion within the BJP can be gauged from the fact that it is still unsure of AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha’s next step – whether she would actually withdraw support or would continue supporting the Vajpayee Government from outside without sparing any opportunity to embarass the Government.

This was apparently the reason for the Prime Minister for not having forwarded resignations of the two AIADMK Ministers to the President for acceptance for two days. “We did not want her to provide a reason for pulling out of the Government” Naidu told The Indian Express today.

If BJP draws solace from anything, it is contradictory signals emanating from the Opposition. Nobody has yet announced of moving a no-confidence motion, claims a BJP leader. “They are yet to make out the structure of an alternative Government” Naidu claims, “whether Congress will head the Government or Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha and whether it will be a coalition Government or minority Government with outside support and how much will be the longevity of the alternative arrangement”.

The BJP vice president KL Sharma today pointed out that the Opposition lacked homogeneity present in this Government. “The Opposition parties do not trust each other, have deceived others in the past and are scared of each other” Sharma claimed.